Five Ukrainian police were killed by friendly fire in a tragic accident in which officers mistook colleagues for burglars, officials said Sunday.

Three burglars initially escaped the crime scene amid a gunfight between different security forces, although they were later detained, AFP reported.

"Last night a devastating tragedy took place that killed five police officers," Anton Gerashchenko, a lawmaker and advisor to the interior ministry, wrote on Facebook.

The regional police force confirmed the incident, while President Petro Poroshenko wrote on Twitter that "the causes of this painful tragedy must be investigated and all the guilty must be punished."