Armed men may have taken hostages in the town of Roubaix in northern France, near the border with Belgium, local media reported on Tuesday.

Witnesses have said gunshots were being fired in the incident that took place at a residence at around 7 p.m. local time (18:00 GMT).

"An operation is underway after hostages were taken. Gunshots were fired and the neighbourhood has been cordoned off," a police source has told Reuters. "A bank director and his family may have been taken as hostages."

French media have described the hostage-takers as heavily armed, and the counter-terrorism unit RAID has arrived at the scene, though a police source told Reuters that there is no apparent connection to the 13 November terror attacks in Paris.

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