BAMAKO, Mali, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Two French geologists were abducted from their hotel in the northwest African country of Mali by armed men, security officials said.
The abduction happened Thursday in the central town of Hombori, where the unidentified male geologists were working on a project to extract materials to make cement, the BBC reported.
The Malian government sent military and security personnel to the city to try and seal off escape routes for the kidnappers, the report said.
The hotel owner told Radio France Internationale the kidnappers forced him at gunpoint to show them where the geologists' room was.
"They told me they hadn't come for me but for the white men," he said. "They told me not to shout or do anything. I showed them the room and then they tied me up."
No ransom demands had been made by Friday afternoon, officials said.
Kidnappings of Europeans in the region are widely believed to be the work of al-Qaida factions attempting to raise millions of dollars in ransom, the report said.
In neighboring Niger, four French nationals were abducted in September 2010 by an al-Qaida faction that demanded $120 million from France for their release. France refused the demand in March and the men are still missing, the report said.
