Jakarta (AsiaNews/Ap) - Unidentified gunmen burst into a Christian church in central Indonesia and opened fire, killing the female minister and wounding four worshippers, police and witnesses said Monday.

The killing Sunday evening took place in Palu, central Sulawesi province, which has been hit by sporadic violence between Muslims and Christians since 2001. At least 1,000 people have been killed.

Five men, some armed with automatic weapons, overpowered the security guard at Palu's Effata Church, said local police spokesman Col. Victor Batara. At least two entered the church, while three others waited outside on two motorbikes, he said.

Preacher Susianti Tinulele, 29, was killed instantly and four others were injured, one of them critically, Batara said.

Tinulele had just finished delivering her sermon when the gunmen attacked, said worshipper Rudi Pesik. "The gunmen sprayed bullets around the church. Everyone panicked," he said. "I dropped to the floor and prayed that my wife and I wouldn't be hit."

In May, gunmen killed a prominent Christian prosecutor in Palu as he left another church. The town, 600 kilometers (1,000 miles) northeast of Jakarta, is close to Poso, which

was a major battleground in fighting between Christians and Muslims three years ago.

President Megawati Sukarnoputri said the government was "trying to find out who did this thing."

"I ask that the people stay alert because we have to maintain political stability and security ahead of the final round of the elections," she said.

Large-scale clashes between the two sides have now subsided in central Sulawesi, but occasional shootings and bomb blasts still take place in the region. Unlike most of Indonesia, Central Sulawesi has roughly equal Muslim and Christian populations.