VIENNA: An Austrian soldier was killed and another injured in a gunfight early Friday at airfield barracks just outside Vienna, the army said.

“A guard was killed and another soldier injured in a gunfight shortly before 7 am today in the airfield barracks in Wiener Neustadt,“ south of the capital, army spokesman Michael Bauer wrote on Twitter.

Police are investigating the incident.

Austrian news agency APA cited Bauer as saying the two men had an argument before shots were fired.

The guard shot into the air before being killed.

It is not yet clear if the injuries the guard's superior sustained were due to the gunfire, APA added.

Such fatal incidents are rare.

In 2019, an Austrian soldier -- a 31-year-old dog handler -- died when two army dogs attacked him, also in the Wiener Neustadt barracks. - AFP