Locals fear for friends in Sydney siege

Emergency personnel wheel an injured hostage to an ambulance during a cafe siege in the central business district of Sydney. AP

Rotorua locals fear for the safety of family and friends who were in lockdown following the siege at a Sydney cafe.

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Dozens of people were held hostage by a suspected terrorist or terrorists who took over a central Sydney cafe with a gun about 9.45am.

Armed police sealed off streets around the Lindt Cafe on Martin Pl.

The local train station was closed, buses diverted and buildings, including the Sydney Opera House, were evacuated.

Gary Graham, from Rotorua, works for an insurance company near Martin Pl, which went into lockdown for several hours yesterday.

He told the Rotorua Daily Post about the tension people in the area felt.

"It's a strange feeling regarding what is happening. The police have closed down the street outside work."

His brother Sam Graham, who still lives in Rotorua, said he called his brother as soon as news about the seige broke.

"I was scared for his safety, that's why I called him as soon as I could. I'm just glad he's okay."

Former Rotorua resident Kaylene Vokaty lived in Sydney for more than six years and used to work in Martin Pl at a marketing company, but now lives in the Gold Coast.

Her best friend, cousins and former colleagues were in Martin Pl at the time of the seige.

As soon as she heard the news, she called, messaged and emailed her loved ones to make sure they were safe.

Thankfully all of them were accounted for, she said.

"It's crazy, my colleagues and I used to always go to the Lindt Cafe. It was really popular and always so packed, people would queue for ages. It's just so hard to believe that this has happened. It's so frightening," she said.

"It's so close to home, it's really scary that this kind of stuff is going on here. It makes me want to get my family all together and hide in the safety of our home."