An 88-year-old Finnish man shot and killed his two mentally handicapped adult daughters and his bedridden wife Sunday, then turned the gun on himself.

Police say the daughters, both in their 50s, died immediately from gunshot wounds at the family home in Ylitornio, about 800 kilometres north of the capital, Helsinki.

After shooting his daughters, the man went to a local health centre and shot his wife, who was also in her 80s.

He then returned home, talked briefly with police on the telephone, then killed himself.