Srinagar, April 28 (IANS) A soldier went on a shooting spree inside an army camp in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir Thursday, killing four of his colleagues before he could be disarmed, police said.

"The soldier went berserk inside the army camp near Panzgam village around 6 a.m., shooting four of his colleagues with his service weapon before he could overpowered and disarmed," a senior police officer told IANS.

"The four troopers died on the spot. The matter is under investigation and the exact details of the incident are being established."

Fratricidal shootouts in security forces have occurred many times in Kashmir in the past.

Continued deployment under hostile conditions, separation from families, lack of recreational facilities are among the factors believed to cause such incidents among security forces.

To address the problem, counsellors have suggested better recreational avenues, frequent leaves to troops to join their families and a better command and control structure.