Tunis - A terrorist attack on Tunis’ Bardo Museum has left 21 dead, including four Italian nationals, and at least 30 injured, said the Tunisian Prime Minister on Wednesday. The two attackers were killed when Tunisian armed forces stormed the building.

Habib Essid, the Tunisian Premier, confirmed that 17 foreign tourists including the four Italians, Germans, Spanish and Polish tourists were killed in the attack, which took place at the world famous Bardo Museum in the west of the capital. Several local media sources have reported that two Britons were also killed in the attack.

Earlier reports indicated that two gunmen armed with assault rifles opened fire on tourists outside the museum, before fleeing inside and taking around 30 visitors hostage. Tunisian Special Forces tasked with rescuing the hostages stormed the building and the two terrorists were killed in the ensuing gunfight.

It is thought that several of the hostages were Italian, with some in Tunis as part of a cruise on the Costa Fascinosa liner. An official at the Foreign Ministry in Rome confirmed that several of the 3,161 passengers on the ship had arranged to visit the Bardo, but it is not yet known how many were involved in the attack.

The Bardo Museum is one of Tunisia’s most visited tourist attractions and is located next to Parliament buildings, which were evacuated following news of the attack.