Gunmen kill 5 Europeans in Ethiopia
Source: Agencies |
January 19, 2012, Thursday
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GUNMEN in Ethiopia's arid north attacked a group of European tourists, killing five, wounding two and kidnapping two, an Ethiopian official said yesterday.
Ethiopian Communications Minister Bereket Simon said the gunmen came from neighboring Eritrea and attacked the tourist group before dawn on Tuesday. Two Ethiopians were also taken hostage. Eritrea denied it was involved.
Austrian, Belgian, German, Hungarian and Italian nationals were among those in the tourist group, Bereket said.
The five killed were two Germans, two Hungarians and an Austrian, according to an Interpol report cited by the spokesman for Hungary's prime minister. Two Belgians were seriously hurt and two Italians escaped unharmed, the report said. Two Germans were kidnapped.
Austria's foreign ministry confirmed that an Austrian man from the province of Upper Austria was among the dead.
Ethiopian officials could not immediately say with certainty which countries the victims were from.
Ethiopian state television reported on Tuesday that there had been eight tourists in the targeted group, but Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Peter Launsky-Tiefenthal said late on Tuesday that two groups totaling as many as 22 people may have been attacked, though he said numbers were not confirmed.
The tourists were visiting a volcanic region in Ethiopia's northern Afar region, which lies below sea level and is known for its picturesque salt flats.
They appeared to be with Addis Ababa-based Green Land Tours and Travel, according sources in Ethiopia's capital.
Bereket said that "some groups trained and armed by the Eritrean government" attacked the tourists about 20 to 25 kilometers from the Eritrean border.
Eritrea's ambassador to the African Union, Girma Asmerom, said Ethiopia's allegations are an "absolute lie."
Ethiopian Communications Minister Bereket Simon said the gunmen came from neighboring Eritrea and attacked the tourist group before dawn on Tuesday. Two Ethiopians were also taken hostage. Eritrea denied it was involved.
Austrian, Belgian, German, Hungarian and Italian nationals were among those in the tourist group, Bereket said.
The five killed were two Germans, two Hungarians and an Austrian, according to an Interpol report cited by the spokesman for Hungary's prime minister. Two Belgians were seriously hurt and two Italians escaped unharmed, the report said. Two Germans were kidnapped.
Austria's foreign ministry confirmed that an Austrian man from the province of Upper Austria was among the dead.
Ethiopian officials could not immediately say with certainty which countries the victims were from.
Ethiopian state television reported on Tuesday that there had been eight tourists in the targeted group, but Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Peter Launsky-Tiefenthal said late on Tuesday that two groups totaling as many as 22 people may have been attacked, though he said numbers were not confirmed.
The tourists were visiting a volcanic region in Ethiopia's northern Afar region, which lies below sea level and is known for its picturesque salt flats.
They appeared to be with Addis Ababa-based Green Land Tours and Travel, according sources in Ethiopia's capital.
Bereket said that "some groups trained and armed by the Eritrean government" attacked the tourists about 20 to 25 kilometers from the Eritrean border.
Eritrea's ambassador to the African Union, Girma Asmerom, said Ethiopia's allegations are an "absolute lie."
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