KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 -- A Chinese citizen was abducted by five armed men on Tuesday in Malaysia's eastern state of Sabah, according to Bernama, Malaysia's state news agency.

Eastern Sabah Security Command director-general Mohammad Mentek confirmed that the incident occurred at 2:45 a.m. and the victim was a 34-year-old manager of a cage fish breeding company.

He said the Chinese national, surnamed Yang, has been employed to work for the Wonderful Terrace Sdn Bhd, a company operating a fish farm in the area, for three years.

The Chinese Consulate in Kuching, Malaysia, said Yang is from Guizhou province in southwest China.

Mohammad said the security forces had tried to corner the boat carrying the abductors and the victim, with a shoot-out close to Pulau Mataking.

"However, the abductors, believed to be from southern Philippines, fled into international waters," he said in a statement.

Two women, a Chinese tourist and a Filipino resort worker, were abducted by a group of gunmen from a Semporna resort in Sabah on April 2.