New South Wales Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn says she cannot confirm the number of people still inside the Sydney cafe, but it is not as high as 30, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

"The information that I have is that nobody has been harmed or injured at the moment," she said. "We clearly are dealing with a situation that is unfolding and it's happening as we speak and the most important thing is the safety of those hostages and I wouldn't want to do anything that may impact on the safety of those hostages."