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Sections Blog Two still missing in Dallol | Two still missing in Dallol |
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| Saturday, 01 March 2008 | |
 Ermias Asrat The Ethiopian government claimed that it had foiled a kidnapping attempt. The tourists were visiting the shallowest place on the planet, Dallol, which is 100 meters below sea level. The tourist vehicles were stolen and found a few kilometers away from the tourist site. The vehicles were riddled with bullet holes. All the 28 tourists who were taken by a French tour company, Deizi Tour, to the region returned to Addis Ababa safely. However, the two drivers, employees of Deizi Tour, were reportedly abducted by the gunmen and taken to the Eritrean territory. One Ethiopian soldier was wounded in the fire exchange that tried to rescue the group. Getu Wolde, a brother of Ermias Asrat, told The Reporter that the whereabouts of his brother and the other driver (Gudina Meaza) were not yet known. “ The tourists returned safe. But due attention has not been given to the Ethiopian nationals. Had it been the tourists who had been abducted it would have been a talking point,” Getu said. Ermiya’s mother, Salelish Tesfaye, said she didn’t hear anything about her son. “I don’t know anything. I can’t say much.” Executives of Deizi Tour declined to comment saying merely that the government was handling the case. “The government was following the case and we don’t want to make statements,” they said. A spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wahid Berhane, told the Reporter that the government was investigating the case, adding that it would notify the public when there were new developments. The tourists who escaped the kidnapping visited southern Ethiopia after the Dallol incident. Last year five European and 13 Ethiopian tourists were kidnapped in the remote Afar region of northeast Ethiopia. Ethiopia then accused archrival Eritrea of masterminding the attacks. By Kaleyesus Bekele |
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