BAGHDAD, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) — Unknown gunmen on Wednesday shot dead three family members and burned their bodies in the northern part of Iraq’s Salahudin province, a provincial police source said.

The attack occurred when the gunmen stormed the house of Safaa al-Janabi in the town of Baiji, some 200 km north of Baghdad, killing al-Janabi, his wife, and their 10-year-old child, said Mohammed al-Bazi from the media office of the provincial police command.

The gunmen burned the victims’ bodies and their house before fleeing the scene, al-Bazi said.

Iraqi security forces rushed to the scene and launched an investigation into the incident and a search operation in the area, looking for the attackers, al-Bazi added.