2 British tourists held hostage in Congo released

May 13 (UPI) -- Two British tourists have been released unharmed by captors in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson announced Sunday.

"I pay tribute to the help of the DRC authorities and Congolese Institute of Nature Conservation," Johnson posted on Twitter.

Friday, the tourists and a driver were ambushed en route from Kibumba to Goma after visiting Virunga National Park, where one-quarter of the world's remaining mountain gorillas reside.

Park ranger Rachel Makissa Baraka, who was traveling with the pair, died when the others were seized during a visit to the park in the rugged mountains and volcanic plains adjacent to neighboring Rwanda and Uganda.

"My thoughts [are] with the family of the ranger tragically killed during the kidnapping," Johnson wrote on Twitter.

The freed British citizens are receiving "support and medical attention," according to a statement from Virunga National Park. Their driver was injured and released after the abduction Friday in the village of Kibati, just north of Goma.

Baraka was one of the park's 26 female rangers. In the past 20 years, 175 rangers have died protecting the park, including five and a driver killed last month in a militia ambush. The park covers 300 square miles.

Because rebel groups still control large portions of the territory, the British Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to the cities of Goma.

"Terrorist attacks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo can't be ruled out. Attacks could be indiscriminate," the Foreign Office wrote. "You should be vigilant, especially in places visited by foreigners."

The park was founded in 1925 by King Albert I of Belgium. Originally given his namesake, Albert National Park was the first to be established in Africa. The park was renamed Virunga National Park in 1969.