3 police officers shot dead in remote French village

Three police officers have been shot dead and a fourth wounded in a remote village in France.

The officers were said to have been responding to a report of domestic violence at a house in Puy-de-Dome when the attacker began shooting at them, and then set fire to the building, reports Sky News.

The man escaped but interior minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter that he had later been found dead.

A spokesperson also confirmed the deaths of the three officers - one of whom was aged 21.

French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the gendarmes, saying "they are our heroes".

He said the nation mourned for their families.

A woman who had been inside the house is safe, said Francois Chautard, mayor of the nearby town of Saint-Just.

He said special forces were on the scene after the shooting.

Puy-de-Dome is in the central Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region of France, about 115 miles west of Lyon.

French media reported that the gunman was 48 years old.