A police officer was killed and another one was injured while trying to detain burglars in the Moscow Region in the early hours of Saturday, a local police spokesman said.

The incident took place at a filling station in the city of Khimki. The police officers rushed to the site after a burglary was reported, but failed to detain the burglars, who opened fire from machine guns and then fled the scene in a VAZ-2109 car.

"As the result of the firing, one police officer died at the scene, another one was wounded," the spokesman said.

He said the burglars' car made its way towards Moscow, adding one of the burglars could also be killed as police officers fired in return.

Police is searching for the criminals.

MOSCOW, December 26 (RIA Novosti)