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A hijacker armed with explosives took 10 Australian tourists hostage on a bus in northwest China Wednesday, before police shot him dead, media in both countries reported.

 The man released all but two of the hostages shortly after taking them captive, but held on to a woman and the group's translator, Australian media said, quoting the country's Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The man had demanded that police let him move to another bus and then drive to an airport, China's state-run news agency, Xinhua said.

The Xinhua News Agency also identified the hijacker as a man called as Xia Tao, who took control of the bus in the tourist city of Xi'an.

Police complied, in part to avoid violence in a downtown area of the Shaanxi province. Once the bus approached an airport toll booth and their attempts at negotiations failed, police shot the man, the Xinhua news agency said.

The woman and her translator were unharmed.

Janaline Oh, a spokeswoman for the Australian Embassy in Beijing told The Associated Press she could not confirm that the man had been shot. Police in Xi'an did not answer telephone calls.

She also said said nine hostages were released early in the incident and taken to safety. She said a 48-year-old woman from New South Wales was not immediately released and that Chinese police had to intervene to rescue her.

"The Australian government is pleased that the hostages are now safe and the embassy in Beijing and Consulate General in Shanghai are providing consular assistance to the Australians affected," said Oh.

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