German hostages freed by Kurd rebels

ISTANBUL, Turkey, July 20 (UPI) -- Three German mountain climbers abducted in Turkey by a Kurdish rebel group have been safely released, Turkish officials said Sunday.

The climbers were seized on Mount Ararat July 8 by members of the armed separatist group the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, who demanded Germany end a crackdown on its supporters in that country, Deutsche Welle reported.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had been informed of the trio's release, Deutsche Welle said. Further details were not immediately available.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel had appealed for the hostages' release but wouldn't buckle to demands she change her policy toward the group, Deutsche Welle said.