Bodies of Foreigners Kidnapped in Yemen Found

Yesterday the BBC reported that seven foreigners were kidnapped whilst on a picnic in Yemen.

The party consisted of a German doctor and his wife and three children, a British engineer and a South Korean language teacher.

Today it claims that the bodies of three foreign women have been found in the region where the hostages disappeared:

At least three foreign women, thought to be part of a group which was kidnapped in Yemen, have been found dead, local officials have said.

The group of nine foreign hostages, three of them children, was kidnapped in a mountainous northern area.

It comprised seven Germans, a male British engineer and a female South Korean teacher.

One unconfirmed report citing unnamed security officials said the bodies of more of the foreigners had been found.

Yemen's Interior Ministry earlier said the foreigners were kidnapped while on a picnic on Friday in the north-western province of Saada.

The authorities said the group included a German doctor, his wife and three children.

The kidnapped adults all worked at a hospital in Saada, the state news agency said.

The UK and German foreign ministries said they were investigating reports of the deaths.

The Yemeni government has blamed a local Shia rebel group, Huthi Zaidi, for the kidnapping. The group, which has been fighting the government for the last five years, denied any involvement, AFP reported.

More than 200 foreign nationals have been kidnapped in Yemen in the last 15 years. Most have been released unharmed.