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| British and Australian tourists kidnapped in Ecuador | British and Australian tourists kidnapped in Ecuador |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Two women, from the UK and Australia, have been kidnapped in the north-east of Ecuador, near the border with Colombia. | Two women, from the UK and Australia, have been kidnapped in the north-east of Ecuador, near the border with Colombia. |
| The tourists were abducted on Friday by what was thought to be a Colombian group, the Ecuadorean authorities say. | The tourists were abducted on Friday by what was thought to be a Colombian group, the Ecuadorean authorities say. |
| They were travelling in a canoe while visiting a remote nature reserve in the Amazon jungle, officials add. | They were travelling in a canoe while visiting a remote nature reserve in the Amazon jungle, officials add. |
| The incident follows reports that five other tourists were attacked in the same area on Friday. | The incident follows reports that five other tourists were attacked in the same area on Friday. |
| The women, who were not immediately identified, were abducted while visiting the Cuyabeno nature reserve in the Tarapoa region, in Sucumbios province, officials said. | The women, who were not immediately identified, were abducted while visiting the Cuyabeno nature reserve in the Tarapoa region, in Sucumbios province, officials said. |
| They were part of a group of several foreign tourists and two Ecuadorean guides. | |
| A spokeswoman for the UK Foreign Office said: "We are aware of an incident and are working closely with the Ecuadorean authorities. Next of kin have been informed." | A spokeswoman for the UK Foreign Office said: "We are aware of an incident and are working closely with the Ecuadorean authorities. Next of kin have been informed." |
| It is not clear which armed group carried out the kidnap, but local reports suggest a criminal gang called the Black Eagles, made up of ex-paramilitaries, might have been behind the abduction. | |
| At this stage, it is hard to know precise details nor whether the women are being held hostage for ransom or for some unknown political reason, says the BBC's Will Grant. | |
| The incident comes as Colombia's main armed guerrilla group, the Farc, is entering a peace process with the Bogota government after nearly five decades of war against the state. |