The serviceman, who was supposed to be undergoing a coronavirus quarantine, snatched the firearms from a guard post, according to local media reports.

When a colleague tried to calm him down, he reportedly asked "do you want to live or die" before shooting him in the stomach and opening fire on the other victims.

Police said the serviceman went on the rampage at around 7:30 am (2330 GMT Thursday) at the air force base in Sarawak state, on the Malaysian part of Borneo island.

He killed two men on the spot while the third managed to drive to a health clinic before succumbing to his injuries.

After shooting his colleagues, the serviceman turned the gun on himself. Authorities are investigating his motives, which remain unclear.

"We are shocked and horrified by the shooting," Sarawak police chief Aidi Ismail told AFP.

"Malaysia is a peaceful country, we never expected such an incident."

Fatal shootings are unusual in the country of 32 million due to strict gun ownership laws.

Malaysia is currently battling its worst virus surge driven by the highly contagious Delta variant.