Two young Tunisian women were shot dead by security patrol officers in Kasserine, central -west of Tunisia, in the early hours of Saturday, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry sent security forces patrols to sweep the roads leading to Kasserine, after receiving information about potential movement of an armed group in the area, according to the statement.
Policemen on one of the patrol vehicles asked two women who were in a car to stop. When they refused, the police chased them before eventually shooting at them.
The shooting led to the immediate death of the two women and the injury of a third one. A local doctor at the Kasserine regional hospital told the media that both women were shot directly in the head.
While the ministry offered condolences to the victims' families, it reiterated that the forces warned the women before shooting them.
An investigation was launched in order to reveal further details about the incident.