Quebec's public security minister has asked the Quebec City police force to investigate a fatal shooting involving provincial police in the Gaspe region.

Provincial officers were called to rescue a man in trouble on Wednesday afternoon, but shots were fired during the operation.

The man later died in hospital.

His name and age have not yet been released, nor have any details about just what happened.

Quebec City investigators and forensic technicians have been sent to the Gaspe to try to determine exactly what happened.

When a death occurs during a police operation in Quebec, the investigation is handed over to another police force.