This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6642089.stm

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Kidnapping fear for NI aid worker Kidnapped aid worker 'not harmed'
(about 10 hours later)
An aid agency worker from Northern Ireland is one of two people feared kidnapped in Somalia. A Northern Ireland aid worker kidnapped in Somalia has not been harmed, hisaid agency has said.
It is believed the Care International worker went missing on Wednesday, along with a Kenyan colleague in the Puntland region of the country. Care International said the surveyor was working on a water project in the Puntland area when he was abducted with a Kenyan colleague on Wednesday.
An agency spokesperson said local authorities are working on the case and are in contact with tribal elders. A spokesman for the organisation said on Thursday it was trying to secure the safe return of its workers.
She said such incidents were not common in the region, but sometimes "different clan issues" were involved. "We have been informed the men are unharmed and village leaders are in discussions for their release" he said.
"Right now we really don't know much and we are trying to investigate, working with the people who are in charge on the ground," she told RTE radio. The spokesman, David Gilmour who directs Care International's projects in Somalia, added: "It is inadvisable for us to say anything elseat this time to avoid exacerbating the situation.
"Our focus remains on a speedy and safe resolution for all concerned."
The two kidnap victims were hired as surveyors a week ago to build jetties in the towns of Hafun and Garaad.
Help offered
Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern said his officials had offeredwhatever assistance they could to locate and release the aid worker.
"Our ambassador in Ethiopia is in close contact with Care International on the ground.
"We will do all in our power to help free the two individuals," he said.
"Our thoughts are with the family of the missing workers."
Puntland is an arid region of north-east Somalia, which declared itself an autonomous state in August 1998.Puntland is an arid region of north-east Somalia, which declared itself an autonomous state in August 1998.
The move was partly an attempt to avoid the clan warfare which engulfed southern Somalia. Nevertheless, the region has endured armed conflict.The move was partly an attempt to avoid the clan warfare which engulfed southern Somalia. Nevertheless, the region has endured armed conflict.
The aid agency made headline news in 2005, when its Dublin-born official Margaret Hassan was abducted in Baghdad. Care International made headline news in 2005, when its Dublin-born official Margaret Hassan was abducted in Baghdad.
A video of her apparent murder was released a month later, but her body has never been recovered.A video of her apparent murder was released a month later, but her body has never been recovered.