At least 21 people have been killed in Tunisia after gunmen targeted a museum in the country’s capital, also taking hostages according to officials.

It is understood that at least 17 foreign tourists and a Tunisian national have been killed. The victims were Polish, Spanish, German, Italian and Tunisian, according to the country's Prime Minister.

The events took place at the Bardo museum – one of Tunisia’s premier tourist sites – which sits next to Tunis’ parliament building.

"A terrorist attack [targeted] the Bardo Museum," said interior ministry spokesman Mohamed Ali Aroui speaking to journalists after the event, adding that the attack involved "two or more terrorists armed with Kalashnikovs".

As a precaution, Tunisia’s parliament has been evacuated and most of the tourists inside the museum made it out safely. Security forces entered the museum to retrieve the hostages, resulting in the death of the gunmen and one member of the counter-terrorism team.

Concerns about security in Tunisia have been raised in recent months thanks to the political instability in neighbouring Libya. A large number of Tunisians have also left the country to fight in Syria and Iraq, adding to concerns that returning militants could carry out attacks on home soil.

UPDATE:

Images are starting to emerge on Twitter showing what appear to be hostages inside the museum. The images show a group of dozens of people sitting on the marble floor of a gallery. According to local reports, all the people inside the museum have now been freed.

The siege ended two hours after the gunmen began their attack. The two gunmen have been killed and so has one member of the counter-terrorism team. At least 22 people have been admitted to hospital.

While the identity of the two gunmen have not yet been established, it is thought they are Islamic militants trying to derail Tunisia's democratic transition.