Helsinki - Three men died Thursday in a shooting incident in the Finnish town of Jyvaskyla, police and local media reported.

The motive for the shooting in the central Finnish town was not known, but one of the victims was believed to have turned his gun on himself, broadcaster YLE reported.

Two of the victims were found outside an apartment building, and a third man was found in an apartment, Finnish news agency STT reported.

Police did not confirm if there were any persons alive in the apartment when they stormed it after being alerted abut the shooting, STT said.

A woman and two children fled before the police entered the flat, and several people were taken for questioning. (dpa)