Armed man wielding axe and knife shot dead after holding 14 passengers and a conductor captive on train in Switzerland

The situation unfolded in Essert-Sous-Champvent in the west of Switzerland on Thursday night, February 8, from around 6:35pm to 10:30pm local time (5.35pm to 9.30pm GMT).

A total of 15 hostages were taken which included 14 passengers and the conductor.

But fortunately, the hostages were released safely after the hostage-taker was killed, authorities said. 

The man was shot dead by police after allegedly rushing towards an officer with the axe.

According to Vaud canton police spokesman Jean-Christophe Sauterel at a press briefing, the hostage-taker was speaking Farsi and English.

‘At this stage of the investigation, the motives of the perpetrator are not known,’ he said.

He added that the hostage-taker’s identity was still not officially confirmed and checks were being carried out.

The train was travelling from Yverdon to Sainte-Croix.