Britons on Congo gorilla tour held hostage

TWO Britons gorilla- spotting in the Congo were taken hostage by jungle bandits yesterday. The armed gang seized the man and woman and shot dead their park guide.

The kidnappers later issued a £147,000 ransom demand, according to local reports.

Last night British diplomats were working with officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo to try to locate the missing tourists.

The ambush happened at 10am yesterday in the Virunga National Park, a renowned sanctuary for critically endangered mountain gorillas in the east of the country, close to the Rwandan border.

Gunmen reportedly shot dead a male park ranger and injured his female colleague before kidnapping the Britons and the group’s driver, about seven miles from the city of Goma, local broadcaster Radio Okapi said.

Park spokesman Joel Wengamulay confirmed there had been an attack and said police and soldiers were at the scene.

The Foreign Office said: ‘We are in close contact with the authorities in Democratic Republic of the Congo following an incident involving two British nationals, and our staff are providing support to their families.’ The tourists were understood to be travelling with the Congolese Institute of Nature Conservation.

Virunga, Africa’s oldest national park, is UNESCO-protected and known for its mountain gorillas as well as lions, elephants, hippos and a host of rare bird species.

But the DRC is one of the world’s most dangerous countries, with the Foreign Office advising against travel to the Virunga region.

The remote rainforest, covering 3,000 square miles, is plagued by marauding criminal gangs who target western visitors. The so-called MaiMai militia, a group with roots in the war against Rwandan forces, was last night thought to be responsible for the abduction.

It is understood British intelligence officers have been able to use satellites to track the hostages to some extent.

In the past month, there have been several reported attempted abductions of tourists in the area, and the park has seen rising violence by armed groups. Last month, five young rangers and a driver were murdered in the deadliest attack in recent years.

‘Target western visitors’