A suspected robber may have hijacked a truck near a petrol station in Umgababa, south of Durban, following a shootout with police on Monday.

"It is suspected at this stage that the hijacker could have been one of the [two] armed robbery suspects that fled the scene," said Captain Vincent Pandarum.

A second gunmen was believed to have run across the railway tracks towards the beach.

Earlier, five men armed with assault rifles confronted cash in transit guards collecting money at the Shell Ultra City filling station. They robbed them of two cash boxes and jumped into an Opel Corsa.

Police drove into the garage while the robbery was in progress and a shootout ensued. Three of the robbers were shot dead and a police constable was wounded.

Earlier, police said two of the gunmen fled the scene in a hijacked Nissan sedan.

Four pistols and the cash boxes were found in the Opel Corsa that the robbers had attempted to flee in. The car had been reported stolen in Amanzimtoti.

The wounded policeman was airlifted to a Durban hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Anyone with information about the crime could contact Detective Inspector Basil Crouse of the Port Shepstone organised crime unit on 039 688 2300.

Sapa

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