BAMAKO, July 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Three Chinese nationals and two Mauritanians have been abducted from a construction site in south-western Mali.
A Mauritanian news agency reported that the gunmen arrived on motorbikes and fled with the hostages.
The military in Mali said the gunmen also made off with five pick-up trucks.
No group has said it carried out the attack but correspondents say it is suspected to have been carried out by militants linked to al-Qaeda or the Daesh group.
The site – around 50km from Kwala, which is about a three-hour drive north of the capital, Bamako – was set on fire, destroying equipment.
Those kidnapped work for Chinese construction firm Covec and Mauritanian road-building company ATTM.
Abductions occur frequently in Mali – foreign nationals are often kidnapped for ransom. — NNN-AGENCIES
