One child was killed at the international school and others were freed after police raided the school and captured the hostage-takers, government official said Thursday.

"A three-year-old Canadian boy was killed by the hostage-takers, " government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told Xinhua.

Police stormed into the school at about 3:00 p.m. Thursday when gun fire were heard and learned one child was killed. Police opened fire on the hostage-takers when they attempted to escape with several children.

Six masked men, believed armed with guns, entered a private-run International school at 9:30 a.m. in Cambodia's northwestern tourism city of Siem Reap and took about 70 students as hostage. About 30 students were released later, leaving some 40 still at the hand of hostage-takers.

"The hostage incident ended now, but the government needs to carry out further investigation on it," said Khieu Kanharith, who is also Minister of Information. "It was still not clear about the motivation and the real identity of the hostage-takers though they all are Khmer," he added.

According to an eyewitness, the children, aged between two and six, were believed from some foreign countries and region.

Such hostage-taking incident was uncommon in Cambodia.

Siem Reap, more than 300 km northwestern of Phnom Penh, is home of world famous Angkor temples.

Source: Xinhua