Three Latvian aid workers kidnapped in Sudan

NYALA - Three pilots from a Latvian helicopter company that had been delivering aid in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region have been kidnaped by a group of unidentified gunmen.

The three workers had been employed by Latvia's GM Helicopters. It is as yet unclear whether the Russian-speaking pilots were citizens or residents of Latvia.

"Right now we can confirm that our staff have been kidnapped in Sudan. We don't yet have detailed information , but we are constantly in touch with the Latvian Foreign Ministry and the UN," GM Helicopters spokesman John Liepins told the Delfi online news portal.

The three men were reportedly abducted from a minibus in the city of Nyala.

GM Helicopters is the Latvian Company providing helicopter services for a variety of purposes. In Sudan they are working for the UN humanitarian air service, contracted to the World Food Program.