Poacher shoots dead four in Austria: authorities

The fourth victim has been killed Tuesday by an alleged poacher who started a shoot-out with the police in the state of Lower Austria, authorities said.

Earlier media reports said two police officers and an ambulance driver were shot as the suspect was taking flight from the scene near the town of Annaberg to his farmhouse in Grosspriel near the district of Melk, where he barricaded himself.

The latest victim, the policeman who was earlier reported to have been taken hostage, was found dead in a police car. Another two people were injured, according to media reports.

From 7 a.m. (0500 GMT), approximately 100 police and "Cobra" special forces personnel surrounded the farmhouse. The suspect, in his mid-50s, is said to be armed with an arsenal of weapons including hand grenades and is firing shots at anybody attempting to approach.

The Austrian Armed Forces are now also involved in the siege and have deployed a tank to the scene.

Attempts to contact the suspect, wanted for some time by the authorities for the illegal shooting and beheading of deer in the wider area, have failed so far.

Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said she was "deeply shocked" by the incident.

"They gave their lives for our safety. My sympathies go out to the family and friends of those killed," she said.