[Fwd: Hijackers killed in hostage drama]

Two hijackers were shot dead by police snipers following a 20-hour
hostage drama outside Petrusburg in the Free State on Tuesday morning,
paramedics said.

ER24 spokesman Lloyd Krause said the saga started around 10am on Monday
when a farm in the small town of Petrusburg was attacked.

"The farmer whose farm was under attack called his neighbours for
assistance and the Venter neighbours responded."

But the neighbours, a father (in-law) and son, were hijacked by the
attackers on their way to the farmhouse.

"The [...] duo is believed to have had a hunting rifle with them at the
time of the hijacking," said Krause.

The hijackers sped off with them on Abrahamskraal road from Petrusburg
toward Bloemfontein.

"The son managed to escape from the hijacked vehicle and managed to run
to the Bainsvlei police station and summoned help."

A chase ensued when the police became involved and the hijacked vehicle
came to a standstill on the road around 2pm, but the hijackers refused
to hand themselves over.

Krause said at around 7am on Tuesday morning, the two hijackers were
shot dead.

"Both of the hijackers were shot by police task force officers and are
deceased. The sniper unit of the task force just neutralised them," said
Krause.

[Read: swiftly dispatched of, with no further risk of recurrence after a
failed rehabilitation because of an unlikely convinction].