Several people were taken hostage by two men with knives in a church in the Normandy region of France, with at least one person killed. The assailants had since been "neutralized."

A police source quoted by Reuters news agency says two men armed with knives had taken several people hostage in a church in France on Tuesday.

According to French news agency AFP, at least one of the hostages was killed.

The source said between four and six people were being held in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, in France's northern Normandy region. Several media outlets have reported that a priest and two nuns were among the hostages.

France 3, a regional news outlet, reported that the incident began between 9 a.m. and 9.45 a.m. local time (between 0700 and 0745 UTC).

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve was reported to be on his way to the town.

France is on high alert and under a state of emergency following a series of deadly attacks on civilians including the Bastille Day attack which killed 84 people in Nice.

(DW)