Gunmen in the restive southern Philippines abducted one Swiss and one Dutch tourist along with their Filipino guide Wednesday and took them away by boat, authorities said.
They were the latest kidnap victims in an impoverished region infested with al-Qaida-linked militants and criminal gangs that often seek ransom for their foreign hostages.
The tourists, identified as Dutch Ewold Horn and Swiss Lorenzo Vinziguerre, were snatched with their guide by an armed group in the country's southernmost Tawi-Tawi island province and dragged to a waiting boat, said military spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang.
The Dutch Embassy in Manila confirmed the kidnapping and said it was working on the case.
Cabangbang said that the kidnapping took place in the village of Parangan in the township of Panglima Sugala, in the remote islands that make up the province.
It was not immediately clear what the tourists were doing there since most of the southern Philippines is considered unsafe for foreign visitors and governments have put up advisories against travel in the region.
Cabangbang said there were reports that the Swiss and Dutch were wildlife photographers. Tawi-Tawi is home to small islands known as Turtle Islands, which are close to Malaysian waters.
Muslim rebels have been fighting for minority self-rule in the predominantly Christian nation's south for decades. The most violent group, al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf, has been notorious for terrorist attacks and kidnappings for ransom.
Cabangbang said that Abu Sayyaf has been active in Tawi-Tawi, coming from their strongholds in nearby Basilan and Jolo islands.
The militants are believed to be holding a former Australian soldier who was kidnapped before Christmas. In January, a video surfaced of him pleading for his life and urging the Philippines and Australia to raise a $2 million ransom being demanded by his captors.
