Kidnapped Brit rescued by Ecuador’s army

Ecuador’s interior minister Jose Serrano said the pair were rescued last night by police and armed forces.

The 23-year-old, Kathryn Sara Cox, was abducted in Ecuador with an Australian travel companion, Fiona Louise Wilde, 32. They are in good condition, the Ecuadorian ministry said.

The news was welcomed tonight by Britain’s foreign ministry, who said the women were found after an “intensive” search.

‘Black Eagles’ gang

It was unclear how the incident happened with some reports saying they were part of a group canoeing in Cuyabeno, a northern nature reserve near Colombia and a combination of rivers, lagoons and floated forests. One newspaper said they were kidnapped by a criminal gang of ex-paramilitary fighters known as the “Black Eagles” while in the Amazon jungle.

Police and armed forces personnel “located and rescued the two girls, Australian and English, kidnapped in Cuyabeno”, Mr Serrano said on Saturday on Twitter.

The women were believed to have been travelling with three others in the nature reserve. The others were not abducted.

Violent crime warnings

Various government travel advisories warn visitors not to travel to the border provinces of Carchi, Orellana and Sucumbios in northeast Ecuador because of the high threat of violent criminal activity.

The Australian embassy in the Chilean capital Santiago, which is responsible for Ecuador, confirmed the rescue.

Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr said the area of Ecuador where the women were abducted was not safe territory,

“It is under-populated. It is remote,” Senator Carr told Australia’s Network Ten.

Cuyabeno National Park is described by local tourism and lodge owners as the largest protected part of Ecuador. It is a half hour flight from the capital, Quito, followed by a 90-minute drive to reach the Amazonian park.