MANILA, Philippines--A suspected extortionist was killed while several others were wounded when they shot it out with policemen in the province of Compostela Valley before noon Tuesday, a police official said.

In a phone interview, Senior Superintendent Ronald dela Rosa of the Compostela Valley provincial police office said that police accosted some 25 armed men, believed to be part of a group extorting businessmen in the area, at Sitio (sub-village) Puting Sayaw, Barangay (village) Napnapan in the municipality of Pantukan at around 11 a.m.

This stemmed from a complaint from local businessmen in the area that the suspects were reportedly demanding money from them.

When accosted, the suspects reportedly fired at policemen, resulting in a brief shootout.

The incident left a still unidentified suspect dead while several others were injured, Dela Rosa said. The wounded suspects immediately fled, he added.

Meanwhile, Police Officer 2 Francisco Dela Cerna was hit in the leg. He was brought to a hospital for treatment, Dela Rosa said.

Recovered from the crime scene were grenade launchers, several detonating chords, and other high powered firearms.

Dela Rosa said police are now conducting pursuit operations for the remaining suspects.