Two police officers were killed and a third seriously injured in a shooting at a rural property in Porepunkah, southeast Australia, local media reported on Tuesday. The property is located 210 km northeast of Melbourne in Victoria’s Alpine region. The officers were executing a warrant related to historical sexual abuse allegations when they were ambushed and shot, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Victoria Police confirmed that two officers, initially reported unaccounted for, were killed, while the third officer was airlifted to hospital with serious lower-body injuries, ABC News reported. As of 4:30 pm local time on Tuesday, police were conducting a widespread search for the gunman, who reportedly fled with several family members, including children, according to Nine Entertainment newspapers.

In response to the shooting, nearby schools and a local airfield were placed on lockdown, and the public was advised to avoid the area. Victoria Police deployed officers from its tactical Special Operations Group to the scene. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed concern for the officers, saying, “Our thoughts are with the police for the work they do every day. The men and women who wear the uniform take risks each and every day.”

Separately, earlier on Sunday, three people were hospitalised, including two with stab wounds, after being found unresponsive in a home west of Sydney. Emergency services were called to the residence in the Leura suburb, 80 km west of central Sydney, around 7:30 am local time. Officers found two men in their 40s with multiple stab wounds and a woman in her 60s unconscious at the scene. All three were treated by ambulance paramedics and transported to hospital, with the men in serious but stable condition and the woman in critical condition. Police established a crime scene and launched an investigation into the incident.