ZURICH (Reuters) - A 38-year-old refugee from Sri Lanka was shot and killed by Swiss police on Saturday after he charged at two other asylum seekers with knives, law enforcement officials said.

Police in the town of Brissago in Switzerland’s Italian-speaking canton of Ticino said they were called to a refugee centre after a report of an altercation after midnight.

Officers say they escorted two asylum seekers into the building, where they were rushed by a man brandishing two knives.

“To guarantee the safety of all those present, a cantonal police officer fired his gun and seriously injured the aggressor,” Ticino police said in a statement.

Despite first aid, the man died at the scene, the police said.