A village health volunteer was killed in a drive-by shooting on Tuesday in restive southern province of Narathiwat, early on Tuesday morning, Bangkok Post online reported.

Police received a report of an attack on Sungai Padi-Cho Airong road in Narathiwat's Cho Airong district on Tuesday morning.

Police found five spent cartridge shells from a 9 m.m. handgun on the spot and were told that an injured woman had been taken to Cho Airong hospital.

The victim was identified as Suena Seng, 44, a health volunteer. She was hit by three bullets - in the head, right shoulder and torso.

The victim's husband told police that he, his wife and another woman were travelling along the road to work at their rubber plantation when a gunman riding pillion on another motorcycle fired on Suena. The attackers then fled.

Suena and the woman passenger fell from the motorcycle but Sama- air managed to escape unhurt. The woman passenger was also unhurt in the attack.

After the assailants fled, Sama-air returned to the spot and asked the driver of a passing pickup truck to help take his wife to Cho Airong hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Police blamed separatist militants.

More than 5,000 people have been killed and over 8,400 hurt in the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, since violence erupted in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch -- an agency that monitors the conflict in the southernmost provinces.