Kidnapped British, Aussie tourists rescued in Ecuador

Ecuadoran authorities said Saturday they have rescued two women tourists, one from Britain and another from Australia, who were kidnapped a day earlier near the Colombian border. Police and armed forces staff "located and rescued the two girls, Australian and English, kidnapped in Cuyabeno," Interior Minister Jose Serrano said on Twitter.
The Australian Embassy in the Chilean capital Santiago, which is responsible for Ecuador, confirmed the rescue. The mission "has confirmed that an Australian woman and a British woman who were kidnapped in Ecuador have been released and are currently in the care of Ecuadorian authorities," a foreign office spokeswoman told AFP.
Kidnappings are common among Colombian gangs. The women, who were not immediately identified, were abducted while visiting the Cuyabeno nature reserve in the Tarapoa region, in Sucumbios province, officials said. They were travelling in a canoe as part of a group of seven tourists - five foreigners and two Ecuadorans - and two local Ecuadorans working as guides.