British nationals missing in Ethiopia

March 3, 2007

London - A 10-person search team has been sent to northeast Ethiopia to find five Britons, missing since Wednesday, who were part of a tour group, a British official said Saturday.

"Unfortunately, I can confirm that five of those are members of staff, or relatives of members of staff, at our embassy in Addis Ababa," said British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett in a statement on the Foreign Office Web site.

Neither the Ethiopian Embassy in London nor the British could confirm reports that some of the nationals, who were with other Westerners, might be held at a military camp across the border in Eritrea.

A Foreign Office spokesman said some of the missing British nationals have connections to the British Council, the Foreign Office and the Department for International Development.

The desert area where the British employees are believed to be is extremely remote. It is the site of the world's only volcano below sea level -- the Dallol Volcano -- and has salt mines. The volcano last erupted in 1926.

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