Three people believed to be elderly are fighting for their lives after they were allegedly attacked with an axe at a property in Tyers, near Traralgon, sparking a major police manhunt.
Emergency services were called to the home in Cowies Road at about 12.30pm on Saturday after the victims managed to raise the alarm.
Police believe a man known to the group went to the property before allegedly assaulting the two men and a woman with what is believed to have been an axe.
All three suffered critical injuries. The two men are expected to be flown to hospitals in Melbourne with life-threatening injuries, while the woman was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
The alleged attacker fled the property on foot and remained at large as officers mounted a large-scale search in the Gippsland area.
He is described as being in his 50s and was last seen wearing a black and mustard-coloured jacket and carrying a black backpack. Police warned he may still be carrying an axe and a handsaw.
Members of the public have been urged not to approach him if they see him, but to call triple zero immediately.
