Colombia's FARC kidnaps 23 oil workers
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At least 23 oil workers were kidnapped on Monday by suspected guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the jungles of Vichada in southeast of the country, the company of the workers said on Monday.
The workers had been assigned seismic tasks for searching for hydrocarbons in the jungle region where there is a strong FARC presence, Tomas Rueda, a spokesman of oil exploration company Talisman, told RCN radio station.
"They (FARC) have just kidnapped 23 people who are employed by a contractor of ours," said Rueda.
He said it is too early to give details about the perpetrators, but police sources confirmed to RCN that the front 16 of the FARC operates in the area and are likely the kidnappers.
Police also indicated that 80 percent of the 23 hostages are natives of the region who work for a contractor that provides services to Talisman.
Meanwhile, governor of Vichada, Juan Carlos Avila, confirmed that an unidentified armed group got into the oil camp and took an uncounted number of people.
Avila said that the abduction was in a secluded and jungle area of the municipality of Cumaribo, which is only accessible by helicopters.
Following the kidnapping, Colombian Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera chaired a special security meeting with military leaders to assess the situation in Vichada, an area bordering Venezuela.
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