The police have released the names of the three people who were killed during a poaching incident in the Etosha National Park.

The deceased are Elifas Shali Kapembe (24), Nicky Nandiinotya Andreas (33), and Immanuel Petrus (23), and their next of kin were informed.

The three men were shot and killed by members of the anti-poaching unit who were in pursuit of suspicious shoeprints when an exchange of fire ensued between the suspected poachers and the unit last Friday. 

It was later found that the poachers were armed with three rifles, with one having a silencer attached to it. 

The poachers also had anti-tracking fibres on their feet to avoid leaving footprints on the ground.