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Rebels abduct 6 tourists, Colombia's navy says

  • Story Highlights
  • Leftist rebels kidnap six people on a remote beach, Colombia's navy says
  • FARC reportedly steals fuel from boat and passengers' cash and cell phones
  • Abductions come three days after rebels free two female hostages
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BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- The same leftist rebel group that released two long-held hostages three days ago has kidnapped six tourists at a remote beach on Colombia's Pacific coast, a spokeswoman for the Colombian navy said Monday.

The kidnapping by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the Spanish acronym by which the group is known, took place at dusk Sunday when a motorboat with the tourists went ashore at Morromico beach in Choco province.

The boat had set sail with 19 passengers from Bahia Solano, a port farther north, the spokeswoman said.

Rebels stole fuel from the boat along with the passengers' cash and cell phones, a navy statement said.

It said rebels then selected six of the passengers and led them into the nearby jungle.

The navy did not name any of the victims. The spokeswoman said one of them is a man with a Norwegian father and a Colombian mother.

In its online edition, El Tiempo, Colombia's largest daily newspaper, said the Norwegian was a teacher at a prestigious Bogota university. It said his wife, a biologist, along with a hotel owner and a small businessman, also were among the victims.

The FARC released Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez on Friday after holding them for six and 6½ years, respectively. Rojas was an aide to former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, whom the rebels also are holding hostage. Gonzalez is a former Colombian congresswoman.

The Colombian government estimates FARC is holding around 750 hostages. The rebels have said they want to swap a small group, including Betancourt and three U.S. anti-drug contractors, for a larger group of jailed guerrilla fighters. The remainder are being held for ransom.

The FARC's 57th Front -- a fighting unit that ranges from company to battalion size in a regular army -- is known to operate in Choco, where the kidnapping took place. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

CNN's Karl Penhaul contributed to this report.

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