Caracas/Bogota - Four heavily armed bank robbers were holding 30 to 50 people hostage Tuesday in Venezuela, while authorities negotiated to secure their release. The attackers, armed with guns and a grenade, stormed the Banco Provincial - a subsidiary of Spain's BBVA - early Monday in the town of Altagracia de Orituco, some 150 kilometres south-west of Caracas, in the state of Guarico.
When a police patrol drove by, the robbers took hostage the more than 30 employees and clients of the bank.
Four women were freed a few hours later, and two men managed to escape.
Scores of people - including at least four children - were still believed to be held by the robbers a full day later, media reports said. Shortly before midnight, the children were said to have been given food.
The police declined to give details about their negotiations, but the attackers had demanded an ambulance to flee the site, with four hostages to shield them from police.
"What we want is to have the street free to go. If you want, we will give you the money, but what we want is to go free," the gang boss, known by the alias "Ricardo," told Colombia's Radio Caracol.
"We do not want to be chased. The only way the hostages can be at risk in the ambulance is that police chase us, I promise, I swear nothing will happen to them," he added.
"Ricardo" said the robbers would take three women and the bank manager.
He said that the robbers were willing to let a priest and a doctor into the bank. The priest would help negotiate with the attackers.
"Ricardo" was also willing to release a woman who is close to 8 months pregnant, and a 15-day-old baby and her mother.
"Please, bring the ambulance. The only thing we want is to get out of this alive," said a hostage identified as Vanessa.
"There are young children, I don't want them to hurt the young children. If (the robbers) want to take me, I will go with them, but I don't want want anyone to shoot. I want to live," the hostage told Radio Caracol.
The situation was tense, with a special commando and several helicopters watching the bank as relatives of the hostages asked Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to mediate in the crisis.
"President, listen to the Venezuelan people, a people that knows that you are a peace mediator to free hostages in Colombia," said Brigiet de Goitia, whose 25-year-old son was a hostage, referring to Chavez's efforts to mediate between the Colombian government and leftist rebels to secure a hostage exchange there.
"Here, your people need you with 38 hostages (sic) kidnapped since yesterday (Monday) and nothing has yet been agreed with them, and all these kidnappers are asking for is an ambulance," she pleaded.
According to media reports, relatives of the hostages had also been negotiating with the kidnappers through cell phones.
One police officer noted that the attackers were beginners and appeared nervous. He said he felt they were capable of anything.
Venezuelan television showed some of the hostages holding signs to demand authorities restore the bank's phone lines and water service, which had been cut off as a way to put pressure on the robbers.
The four attackers were said to be aged 23-27.
