Estonian and Latvian tourists taken hostage in Egypt

TALLINN - On Thursday [Jan. 19] afternoon in Egypt, five buses carrying tourists, including four Latvian and 19 Estonian citizens, were taken hostage for several hours, the Estonian Foreign Ministry informs, LETA/ERR reports.

The Estonian tourism company ''Novatours'' confirmed that the incident took place and there were 19 Estonian and four Latvian citizens on one of their chartered buses.

The bus was on its way to Luxor from Hurghada and was stopped by local residents who were blocking the road. The Egyptian Tourism Police then became involved in the situation.

As Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet explained that it is most likely the local residents took such measures to increase pressure on the local authorities.

The buses were released at around 11:30 p.m. in the evening, with tourists returning to their hotel in Hurghada at around 4:00 a.m.