unbelievable!!! must have been the scariest experience for these hostages!!


Kiev, April 3 (Bloomberg) -- Three men who robbed a German bank and took two female employees hostage were chased by police across Poland and into Ukraine, AFP and other news services said.

Police helicopters and about 20 vehicles pursued the fugitives' silver Seat car at speeds of up to 200 kilometers (125 miles) an hour, Internet news service Ananova said. When they crossed into Ukraine, a Ukrainian anti-terrorist squad was put on alert, Agence France-Presse cited Polish TVP television as saying.

The three armed men held up a bank last night in the northern German town of Uelzen, then drove through the Polish border at Slubice, Cable News Network said. They were ``brandishing their weapons at customs officers,'' AFP cited the Polish news agency PAP as saying.

One of the women hostages escaped when the car stopped at a gas station near Lublin in Poland, AFP cited Polish police spokesman Zbigniew Matwiej as saying. The 39-year-old hostage was said to be unharmed, CNN reported.

``The three men and second hostage continued to flee toward Ukraine and crossed the border,'' Matwiej told AFP.

The raiders began their odyssey after holding a gun to the head of one of the hostages at the Uelzen bank after police were called, CNN said.

``They have unfortunately rejected all contact with the police so far,'' CNN cited German police spokesman Juergen Heinle as saying. ``We do not want to wear them out. We want to establish contact with them to make sure this is kept under control.''

It was not clear how much money, if any, the men had stolen, CNN said.