Five held hostage in U.S. post office

Five held hostage in U.S. post office

• A man with disability is holding at least five people hostage at a post office in Wytheville, Virginia.

• He entered the post office about 2:30 p.m. (1930 GMT) and fired a shot, but no one has been hurt.

• The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said the man made no demands other than to ask for a pizza.

Wytheville volunteer firefighters stand behind a fire truck two blocks away from the Wytheville Post Office, background, where a man is allegedly holding hostages and has explosives on Main Street in Wytheville Virginia Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009.

　 WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- A man with disability is holding at least five people hostage and probably carrying explosives at a post office in Wytheville, Virginia, on Wednesday, authorities said.

The man, in a wheelchair, entered the post office about 2:30 p.m. eastern time (1930 GMT) and fired a shot, Wytheville Mayor Trent Crewe told reporters.

No one has been hurt, but three postal workers and two customers are being held hostage, he said.

There also are reports that the man has an explosive "device" and it appears the man's car, parked outside the office, is equipped with some type of the "device," Crewe said, without elaborating on what the "device" could be.

The surrounding area of downtown Wytheville has been evacuated, Crewe said.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said the man made no demands other than to ask for a pizza.

Virginia state police confirmed that there were shots fired in the incident. A SWAT team and a bomb technician were sent to the scene.

Wytheville is a small rural town in southeastern Virginia at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with a population of just over 8,000.

A man is allegedly holding hostages and has explosives on Main Street in Wytheville Virginia Post Office Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009.

(Xinhua)