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| Tourists 'go missing' in Ethiopia | Tourists 'go missing' in Ethiopia |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A group of 15 foreign tourists has gone missing in north-east Ethiopia, sources in the country say. | |
| They include 10 French nationals. Unconfirmed reports suggest a number of Britons are among the missing. | |
| They were travelling to the remote Afar desert region, about 800km (500 miles) from the capital, Addis Ababa. | |
| A businessman told AP news agency the group had been kidnapped, but the Ethiopian government said it could not confirm reports of an abduction. | A businessman told AP news agency the group had been kidnapped, but the Ethiopian government said it could not confirm reports of an abduction. |
| "The government is monitoring the situation," a spokesman for the Information Ministry said, adding that a statement would be released later in the day. | "The government is monitoring the situation," a spokesman for the Information Ministry said, adding that a statement would be released later in the day. |
| French diplomats in Ethiopia said the tourists had been kidnapped. | |
| "There has been a kidnapping, that's certain ... It happened the evening before yesterday (Wednesday)," the French ambassador to Ethiopia, Stephane Gompertz told AFP news agency. | |
| According to the businessman, one member of the group managed to escape and use a satellite phone to alert the authorities. | According to the businessman, one member of the group managed to escape and use a satellite phone to alert the authorities. |
| Thieves and a small rebel group are active in the Afar region. | Thieves and a small rebel group are active in the Afar region. |