Five hostages, three men and two female workers wearing aprons indicating they were staff at the Lindt cafe where a gunman has been holding an unknown number of hostages for several hours, escaped to safety from a cafe where over 30 people are being held hostage by gunman in this Australian city.
It is not clear whether the hostages had been released by the gunman or had escaped.
Five hostages have made it out of the cafe at Martin Place, Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.
An armed man took the people hostage inside the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Sydney’s central business district.
–IANS