Four European tourists, including two Swiss, one German and one Briton, were abducted on Thursday near Niger's border with Mali, news agencies reported.

A Mali official said the tourists were abducted at Menaka, near the Mali-Niger border, but didn't specify the abductees' nationalities, news monitored here in Togo's capital Lome said.

Initial reports said the tourists include two Swiss, one German and one Briton, but haven't been confirmed yet.

(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2009)