Police shot dead a hammer-wielding man who took 30 children and four teachers hostage at a kindergarten in Sg Abong in Muar, Johor.

The man barged into the kindergarten in a residential area of Muar, Johor early in the morning, armed with a machete and a hammer. Police cordoned off the area and began negotiations with the man.

All the 30 children, aged between three and five years, and their four teachers are safe