Gunmen abducted three Chinese oil workers in Nigeria's southern state of Bayelsa on Thursday, bringing to 32 the number of foreigners being held by armed groups in Africa's top oil producer.
Seven other Chinese staff of the China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) were missing after the dawn raid in the southern state of Bayelsa, and one attacker was killed in an exchange of fire, authorities said.
"There was an armed attack on a seismic team in Sagbama. Three Chinese were abducted and seven are unaccounted for," said Bisi Ojediran, a spokesman for Royal Dutch Shell. CNPC is working under contract to Shell in the area.
"People ran helter skelter when the attackers arrived so maybe they are hiding somewhere. There is no report of casualties (among the Chinese) and a search is under way," Ojediran added. Police said the attackers also looted CNPC's field office and took away an unspecified amount of money.
The Chinese embassy in Nigeria declined to comment. Militants and criminals seeking ransom have intensified attacks and kidnappings against foreign workers in the Niger Delta, a vast wetlands region which has all Nigeria's oil.
Thousands of foreign oil workers have left in the past year as violence has spiralled, and some industry executives see the situation descending further into anarchy as landmark Nigerian elections approach in April. Nigeria is the world's eighth largest oil exporter, but militant raids last February have cut shipments by a fifth.
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