Three government officials were shot dead on Wednesday in Thailand’s insurgency-stricken south -- among them a woman who was then beheaded, police told AFP.

Three government officials were shot dead on Wednesday in Thailand's insurgency-stricken south -- among them a woman who was then beheaded, police told AFP.

The trio, a village chief and two women assisting him, were gunned down as they drove on a remote road after attending a meeting in a notorious security 'Red Zone' in Yala province, a hotbed of the insurgency.

"One woman was shot and then beheaded, while another woman and a man were also shot dead," said Police Lieutenant Virasak Suwannadecha said, adding the victims were all Thai Buddhists.