6 wounded in shootout at Malaysia's airport

updated 6:42 p.m. ET April 9, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Robbers shot and wounded six people before escaping with about $1 million in cash at Malaysia's main international airport Wednesday, police and news reports said.

A group of between four and six robbers opened fire at two currency exchange workers and two security guards accompanying them as they carried a bag of cash outside the departure hall of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, according to the Bernama news agency.

District police chief Zahedi Ayub told Bernama that two other bystanders were also wounded. Flights were not disrupted, he said.

A district police official confirmed that six people were wounded in an armed robbery, but said he could not provide details. Airport authorities could not immediately be contacted.

The suspects "were dark-skinned and believed to be locals," the news agency quoted Zahedi as saying. "Based on preliminary investigations, it appears that the robbers knew the movements of the victims and it is categorized as an organized crime."

Police have set up road checkpoints to find the robbers, Zahedi said.

The robbers were armed with automatic pistols and fled in a getaway car after the heist, which was over in three minutes, The Star newspaper reported on its Web site. Glass windows at the airport entrance were shattered in the shootout.

The workers and guards had been walking to a currency exchange outlet on another floor, the report said. The guards said they opened fire at the getaway car, and police found about 40 bullet slugs strewn across the ground.

The victims were all shot in their legs and have been hospitalized, the reports said.

More from msnbc.com When's Palin leaving? Take our weekly quiz Looking at China unrest from Mongolian perch Adventures in Cancerland: Lust for life Red Tape: Credit card firms' new squeeze Elkhart Blog: Making sure health care isn't casualty

MORE FROM ASIA-PACIFIC

Asia-Pacific Section Front

Mosques in riot-hit Chinese city open for prayer Looking at China unrest from a Mongolian perch   China to relocate 400,000 after quake S. Korean Web sites under renewed attack Sister: Journalist seeks N. Korea pardon Anger and hatred on the streets of Urumqi El Nino conditions return to affect weather Australian town bans bottled water sales Chinese open up - slightly - over Uighur riots Newsweek: How China is spinning Uighur unrest Asia-Pacific Section Front   Add Asia-Pacific headlines to your news reader: