YEREVAN, Armenia

The third day of a hostage crisis in Yerevan has seen gunmen free two out of seven people held at a police station in the Armenian capital.

According to a police statement on Tuesday, armed attackers raided Erebuni police station on Sunday.

The hostage-takers are members of the Sasna Tsrer movement, named after an eighth-century epic which describes how Arab invaders were expelled from Armenia.

Local sources say a police officer died and four others were injured during initial clashes with the gunmen.

Negotiations for the remaining five hostages, which include Yerevan's Deputy Police Commissioner Valery Osipyan, are continuing.

The negotiations are being led by Yerevan Police Commissioner Vladimir Gasparyan.