From the Archives, 1996: The Port Arthur massacre
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By Gerard Ryle, Caroline Overington and Kendall Hill
April 27, 2021 3.15pm
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Carnage ends - toll may hit 35.
Hostages feared dead as police capture gunman
Hobart.
Credit:Dallas Kilponen
Police are still to formally confirm whether an elderly couple and a possible third victim died while being held hostage by the gunman at a local guesthouse. Their deaths would bring the Port Arthur massacre death toll to 35.
The couple, Sally and David Martin, had been taken hostage at the guesthouse by the gunman late yesterday after he embarked on a shooting rampage at the nearby Port Arthur historic site, killing at least 32 people and injuring 19 others. A third person is believed to have been kidnapped by the gunman.