Hundreds of people have filed past a growing pile of flowers in Sydney city centre on Friday (December 19) morning, paying their respects to two hostages killed in an armed siege earlier in the week.

Two hostages and the hostage taker died when police stormed the Lindt cafe in Martin Place to end a 16 hour stand-off on Tuesday (December 16) morning. The cafe manager, Tori Johnson, and mother of three and senior lawyer, Katrina Dawson died along with the hostage taker, Man Haron Monis.

In the heart of the central business district, tens of thousands of bouquets line the pavement as people continue to come to the scene to pay their respects.

The deadly incident prompted Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to order a sweeping investigation as tough new security laws and the courts failed to stop a convicted felon from walking into the cafe with a concealed shotgun.

The hostage taker, Man Haron Monis, a self-styled sheikh who received political asylum from Iran in