A group of 17 European tourists, including 10 Austrians, six Germans and a Swede, who went missing in Algeria two months ago and were feared kidnapped have been found.
A total of 32 European tourists - 16 Germans, 10 Austrians, four Swiss, a Dutchman and a Swede - disappeared in late February and early March in a remote scenic desert region in southern Algeria famous for its ancient grave sites.
It is unclear whether they were lost in the Algerian Sahara desert or kidnapped.The fate of the other tourists was unclear.
The area the tourists were believed to be heading to is renowned for its archaeological sites, but also known for arms and drug smuggling and borders Libya, Mali and Niger.
Algerian authorities began searching the two-million-square km (772,300 sq mile) Algerian Sahara for the tourists in March using thousands of soldiers and military aircraft.
Algeria is concerned a possible kidnapping will hurt the country's tourism industry which had been showing signs of recovery after years of bad publicity.
AFP