Police commandos inspect the body of former police officer Rolando Mendoza (third from right) after the shootout in Manila on Monday. (Reuters)

Manila, Aug. 23 (AP): A 12-hour hostage drama aboard a Philippine bus ended in bloodshed today, with at least seven Chinese tourists dead along with the disgruntled ex-policeman who hijacked the vehicle and demanded his job back, officials said.

At least six captives survived, four of whom were seen crawling out the back door of the bus after Philippine police stormed it this evening when the hostage-taker started shooting at the 15 Chinese tourists inside, said police Senior Superintendent Nelson Yabut.

He said the hostage-taker was killed with a sniper shot to the head after he wounded a police sharpshooter.

Police and ambulances were lined up next to the vehicle in the pouring rain after the standoff ended. Local hospitals reported seven bodies of hostages were brought in. One other hostage was hospitalised in critical condition, and five others were unharmed.

Officials have yet to disclose the fate of the remaining two hostages.

The crisis began when the dismissed policeman, Rolando Mendoza, 55, armed with a M16 rifle seized the busload of Hong Kong tourists to demand his reinstatement in the force.

According to newspaper reports from 2008, he was among five officers who had been charged with robbery, extortion and grave threats after a Manila hotel chef filed a complaint alleging the policemen falsely accused him of using drugs to extort money.

Mendoza released nine hostages during the afternoon — leaving 15 inside.

Despite hopes that negotiations could bring the stand-off to a peaceful conclusion, tensions escalated as night closed in. Police said they stormed the bus after they saw Mendoza open fire on hostages. Crouching outside the vehicle, commandos in flak jackets, used a hammer to bash in side windows, the door and windscreen, although it was some time before they eventually gained entry.

Moments before the commandos moved in, the Filipino bus driver fled. Police officer Roderick Mariano cited him as saying Mendoza had opened fire at the tourists.