A Canadian female tourist is among at least seven people killed by gunmen in and around a medieval castle in southern Jordan, officials say.

Two Jordanians are also said to have been killed.

According to local authorities, the assailants shot dead at least four police officers in an attack on a nearby police station, before blocking themselves inside the crusader-era citadel in the mountainous city of Karak. Several people are believed to have been injured.

A number of people trapped inside were later reported to have been freed. Foreign tourists were said to be among them.

The identity of the gunmen is unknown. Police are reported to have stormed the castle in search of them.

Jordan’s public security directorate issued a statement saying:
“Police and security forces have surrounded the castle and its vicinity and launched an operation to hunt down the gunmen.”

The nation is a close ally of the United States. It forms part of the US-led coalition fighting the ISIL jihadist group in Iraq and Syria, prompting the militants to threaten to “break down” Jordan’s borders.