ANTANANARIVO, Dec. 15 -- One Chinese was shot dead on Sunday in Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar, a witness said.

The witness who gave her name only as Yang told Xinhua that the victim, 54, came from China's northeastern province of Jilin.

She and the victim were on a lorry heading home at 10:30 a.m. local time, when two gunmen rushed on the lorry in an attempt to seize the key of the vehicle.

As the victim was trying to protect the key, one person shot the victim from the right side of his head and ran away. The victim was dead on the spot.

At the scene of Behoririka, also known as China Town in Antananrivo, Xinhua witnessed the blood still flowing from the vehicle. The body of the victim was wrapped, waiting for the legal medical specialist to examine.

The police on the spot told Xinhua that the two attackers were likely to rob the victim's lorry ,because as Christmas holidays are approaching, the Indian Ocean island country has witnessed a significant increase in robbery and theft.