MANILA, Philippines ? (UPDATE 6) It?s over. The hostage crisis that gripped the world for at least 10 hours Monday ended with at least three people killed, including the hostage-taker, and 17 survivors, according to reports culled by INQUIRER.net.

The body of dismissed Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza was recovered inside the tourist bus that he took over in Manila about 9 a.m. He was taken to Ospital ng Maynila. Also taken to the same hospital were seven of the hostages, five of who are alive and two dead.

Five ? one in critical condition and one dead ? are at the Manila Doctors? Hospital while one confirmed dead is at San Juan De Dios.

Mendoza who was charged with drug-related offenses, took over the bus with 22 Chinese nationals and three Filipinos and demanded his reinstatement into the force.

Aside from Mendoza, two of the hostages were also killed although Metro Manila Police Director Leocadio Santiago in an interview with CNN refused to confirm this.

Santiago said there were 17 survivors ? nine having been released by Mendoza earlier on Monday and eight walking off after the police had secured the bus.

Reporters at the scene saw five hostages come out alive, one was unconscious and three were dead, including Mendoza.

In a separate press interview, Superintendent Nelson Yabut who was part of the 30-man assault team said they were initially unable to enter the bus because Mendoza had the hostages lined-up and leaning on the bus windows.

?He [Mendoza] used them as a shield,? Yabut told reporters. He added that they also had to pull back during the downpour.

Yabut said Mendoza was standing at the back of the bus and ran towards the front after seeing members if the assault team trying to enter through the rear.

?Parang tatakas [It looked like he was attempting to escape],? Yabut added.

A sniper opened fire at Mendoza who was hit on the right temple, Yabut said.

Before this, Yabut said Mendoza also fired back at the assault team and hit a policeman on the head although he survived the attack.

Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo went to the crime scene but withheld judgment on how the hostage crisis was handled and resolved.

"The government is very sorry that the hostage-taking ended like this," Robredo said. He said the government has been "communicating with the representatives of the Chinese government" on the hostage crisis.

Robredo said President Benigno Aquino III was constantly apprised of the situation.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the President has met with police, officials from the Department of Interior and Local Government, and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.

The law enforcers broke the windows and tried to enter the door of the stalled bus but were stopped by gunshots coming from inside the bus, GMA Network footage showed.

Bursts of gunfire were heard from inside as lawmen went to the backdoor to force it open in the hope of seizing Mendoza and rescuing his hostages.

A bystander, identified as a 10-year-old boy, was hurt following the gunshots and was brought to the hospital for treatment, according to the television report.

A police car moved closer while members of the raiding team continued to break into the back of the vehicle, video showed.

Ambulances also surrounded the bus.

Earlier on Monday, the bus driver, identified as Alberto Lubang, 38, was able to escape despite being handcuffed to the wheel. He told police that some of the hostages were killed by Mendoza.

In an interview, Aida Beltejar of the Philippine National Red Cross said Lubang told her that some of the passengers were killed but did not give an exact number.

She added that Lubang was in a state of trauma and became partly deaf due to the loud gunshot sounds.

Quoting Lubang, Beltejar said that the driver pleaded several times for Mendoza to free him, adding the policeman acceded because he was Filipino.

Mendoza was thought to have fired warning shots anew as he saw his brother, Senior Police Officer 2 Gregorio Mendoza and a young man said to be Rolando?s son, being hauled away by police.

Superintendent Ike Gutierrez of the Manila police said SPO2 Mendoza was arrested for bringing a gun to the hostage scene without coordinating with the police.

At past 6 p.m., a single gunshot was heard coming from the bus. Reporters on the scene learned that Mendoza fired a warning shot after rejecting a letter from the Office of the Ombudsman that informed him that he could not be reinstated but nonetheless assured him that his case would be reviewed.

The letter was delivered to on site by Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno who met with officials of the Office of the Ombudsman earlier Monday.

Moreno revealed in a telephone interview aired over the ABS-CBN News Channel that the contents of the Ombudsman?s letter could help clear up things on the status of the appeal he filed regarding his dismissal from the service.

"Kung ako sa kanya, pag nakita ko ang sulat na ito ay magliliwanag ang kaisipan ko (If I were him, I would surely be enlightened after reading this letter)," Moreno said but refused to reveal the contents of the letter.

Mendoza released nine hostages, leaving behind at least 17 others.

Eight of the nine freed hostages were identified as, photographer Danilo Medril, 64, tour guide Rigor Cruz, 73-year-old Lee See Que (Lee See Kyu in some reports), Tsang Yee Lai, 40, and her children Fu Chang Yin, 4, Fu Chak Yin, 10, and family friend Wong Ching Nat, 12, Diana Chan. A woman who was also released at around 10:30 a.m. was not identified.

A national police statement said at least 22 tourists from Hong Kong were on board the bus. The statement said that, aside from the driver, they were believed to be the only people aboard the bus. Earlier reports said that aside from the 22 Chinese nationals, three Filipinos were on board the bus.

Broadcaster Erwin Tulfo arrived at the Quirino Grandstand at around 3:45 p.m. on Monday to help in negotiations.

Tulfo entered the cordoned area after Mendoza posted another message on the bus that said, "Media now."

Tulfo was briefed by the police about the situation.

Mendoza posted the "Media now" message some 30 minutes after 3 p.m., the hour by which police negotiators and media were expecting something to happen following a message from Mendoza that stated "Big deal will start after 3 p.m. today."

Earlier in the day, Mendoza posted the message: "Big mistake to correct a big wrong decision.

It was not clear what the armalite-wielding hostage-taker exactly meant by these messages, as police negotiators continued to work to convince Mendoza to let the hostages go.

Negotiators had hooked up a phone line to the bus to facilitate negotiations with Mendoza.

As of late Monday afternoon, the bus? gasoline supply had been replenished at least two times.

Superintendent Orlando Yebra and Chief Inspector Romeo Salvador took the lead in the negotiations with the hostage-taker.

Background information obtained by the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Mendoza showed he has been facing charges for manhandling a suspect before the Office of the Ombudsman.

According to records in Camp Crame, Mendoza was dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman early in January together with four other policemen

Mendoza was relieved from his post as chief of the Mobile Patrol Unit in 2008 for his alleged involvement in drug-related crimes and extortion, and was demanding to be reinstated, police said.

Mendoza, who has reaped awards for his work in the police service, was protesting his dismissal early this year for allegedly forcing a hotel chef to swallow shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and for allegedly attempting to extort P20,000 from him during interrogation. Mendoza has denied the charges and has filed an appeal with the Ombudsman.

Negotiators have hooked up a phone line to the bus to facilitate negotiations with Mendoza who wanted to be reinstated into the police service.

Superintendent Orlando Yebra and Chief Inspector Romeo Salvador took the lead in the negotiations.

Mendoza passed messages to police negotiators through pieces of paper he posted on the windshield and doors of the bus that was parked in front of a grandstand at Rizal Park, a popular tourist destination just several blocks from the police headquarters.

The hostage-taking came hours after a South Korean man was killed in a separate attack by gunmen elsewhere in Manila. Police said the incidents were not related.

Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said that the bus was operated by a Hong Thai, a Hong Kong-based travel agency.

The national police statement confirming the tourists were from Hong Kong corrected earlier statements by police that they were South Koreans.

The incident brought back memories of a similar hostage taking in 2007, when a troubled civil engineer armed with a grenade took over a bus and took hostage 30 kindergarten students but freed them after a 10-hour standoff with police. Maila Ager, INQUIRER.net; Alcuin Papa, Cathy Yamsuan, Philippine Daily Inquirer; Agence France-Presse