A young man has been shot dead after allegedly killing five family members after holding them hostage since Tuesday night.

Local media reported that the man in his twenties killed the father, stepmother and three children in Douvres, a city in eastern France.

Among the dead are his father, who was the head of a construction company in Ain, his stepmother originally from Gironde, his 17-year-old sister, 15-year-old half-brother and 5-year-old half-sister, writes

The unidentified individual was locked in the house since last night as the residents of the area were alerted.

A negotiator from the elite French police unit was sent to the scene to try to persuade the killer to surrender, but they failed.

Otherwise, the French countryside is usually a quiet place with no serious crime.