Armed man seizes bus with around 20 hostages in Ukraine

An armed man seized on Tuesday a bus with around 20 hostages in Ukraine's northwestern city of Lutsk, the regional police department said.

"This morning we received a message saying that a man seized a bus with around 20 hostages in the center of Lutsk, he has explosives and weapons. An operation dubbed 'Hostage' is underway in the region. The city center is cordoned off for the sake of citizens' safety. All the police forces are working on the site," the police wrote on Facebook.

No injuries have been reported so far.

The head of the Ukrainian National Police's department for the Volyn region said that the malefactor had not put forward any specific demands.

"He posted his demands on Twitter. We are now monitoring the social network. He has not put forward any exact claims, only generalities regarding his dissatisfaction with the system, he does not say which system exactly. We are studying it, and we are trying to maintain negotiations. He used to pick up the phone but now he does not," Yuriy Kroshko said in a comment, published on the Facebook account of the police.

According to local media outlets, witnesses have heard shots at the site. The bus with shattered windows is parked up near a theater. (Sputnik/)

( With inputs from ANI )