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House siege after police shooting in Austria Austrian gunman shoots four dead
(about 2 hours later)
Police have surrounded a house in Austria after two police officers and an emergency worker were shot while trying to arrest a suspected poacher. Three police officers and an emergency worker have been shot dead while trying to arrest a suspected poacher, the Austrian interior ministry has said.
In a brief statement, police said the suspect had been arrested during the night in a forest near the Alpine ski resort of Annaberg, in Lower Austria. Police armed with machine-guns are surrounding a house near the Alpine ski resort of Annaberg, where the suspect has barricaded himself in.
But he escaped in a car, fleeing to his house - a third policeman is also reported as missing. The man is heavily armed, reported state broadcaster ORF quoting police.
Police have surrounded the house, the Austrian interior ministry said. The suspect had been arrested during the night but escaped in a stolen police car, fleeing to his house.
The condition of the three victims was unclear from the statement. The civilian victim was described as a paramedic, who was driving an emergency rescue vehicle.
A police source quoted by the German news agency DPA described the civilian victim as the driver of an emergency rescue vehicle. The man had been holding a police officer hostage but officials later reported a body had been found at the scene.
Police special forces have been deployed at the scene, the source added. Around 100 police officers are surrounding the house, which is situated on a hill in the village of Melk, ORF reported.
It appears that the siege is under way at a house near Grosspriel, about 65km (40 miles) west of the capital, Vienna. Shots have been ringing out from the property, and police are trying to make contact with the gunman, ORF said.
Police in body armour and carrying machine-guns have been manning road-blocks in the area. Relatives of the suspect have been brought in to try and speak to him on his mobile phone.
A large section of the surrounding area has also been cordoned off, with police in body armour and carrying machine-guns manning road-blocks.
Armoured police vehicles have also been deployed.
An earlier information blackout was lifted after information was leaked by the media.