At least three people were killed Saturday by security forces during a protest, according to sources and media reports.

Police and soldiers opened fire into a crowd in the second city, Mandalay, after 1,000 government employees refused to return to work at a major jetty site.

Witnesses said the shooting occurred after hours of an tense face-off between security forces and protesters.

A volunteer medic was among those killed, according to a colleague who asked not to be named.

“My friend was sitting in an ambulance while she got shot,” he told Anadolu Agency.

A male died when he was shot in the head by police in Yangon’s Shwe Pyi Thar township, said witnesses.

“As a police vehicle entered into the street, we tried to stop them. Police suddenly shot a man in the head and then drove away,” said Myint Myat Thu who witnessed the shooting.

Anadolu Agency was unable to reach authorities for comment.