DIPLOMATS were today urgently checking reports a group of British embassy staff kidnapped in Ethiopia last week are safe in neighbouring Eritrea.
According to the reports, a community leader said the group was "unharmed and safe" and being held by Afar separatist rebels.
The group, all of whom are connected to the British Embassy in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, went missing on Thursday last week while on a tourist trip to northern Ethiopia to visit geological sites and learn more about the Afar region.
Foreign Office officials were keen to stress the reports were unconfirmed.
A spokeswoman said: "We are looking into these reports at the moment. We can't confirm anything at present.
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She also said today that the five missing embassy staff include three Britons, one Italian/Briton and one French person.
On Tuesday, two bullet-ridden and burnt-out vehicles belonging to the group were found abandoned after diplomats reached the remote north-eastern village of Hamedali, where they were thought to have disappeared.
The vehicles - a Toyota Land Cruiser and a Land Rover Discovery - still had luggage, shoes and mobile phones inside.
Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said yesterday she was still concerned for the group.
"I and my colleagues in government remain deeply concerned. Obviously, this has been a very difficult time for the families of those who are missing", she said.
"We are in the closest possible touch with the government of Ethiopia, including with Prime Minister Meles (Zenawi), who is offering us every assistance.
"We are also in close contact with other governments in the region and grateful for all the co-operation we are receiving. This includes Eritrea, and I would like to thank President Isaias (Afwerki) for his government's support and help.
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Hamedali is a popular staging post for intrepid tourists willing to withstand temperatures of 50C to venture into the unique geological formations of the Danakil Depression, including the area's famous salt lakes. Visitors are warned to travel in convoy with armed guards because of rebels and bandits.
According to witnesses, 50 men burst into the village, some of them armed, and marched a group towards the Eritrean border.
The kidnapped group is also thought to include a number of Ethiopian drivers and translators. British Ambassador to Ethiopia Bob Dewar has said the group may have been the victim of mistaken identity.
Eritrea has dismissed claims its soldiers snatched the group.
Information minister Ali Abdu said the claims, were fabricated by Ethiopia to make Eritrea look bad. Relations between Ethiopia and its neighbour have been strained since Eritrea gained independence in 1993 following a 30-year guerrilla war.
Prime Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman said the Government was still trying to "establish the facts" concerning the reports.
"It is important that we take this very carefully for the sake of all those involved," he said.
