Austrian woman kidnapped in Niger

MADRID Jan 12 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported this Sunday that an Austrian citizen has been kidnapped in Niger by unidentified individuals.

The woman was assaulted when she was traveling in an SUV through a desert area in the Agadez region, in the center of the country, according to sources from the Nigerien security apparatus cited by local media.

The Austrian Embassy in Algeria, also in charge of Niger, is in contact with other European countries, the EU delegation for the region and with the authorities of the African country, said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted by the Austrian newspaper ‘Der Standard’.

Another medium, the ‘Kronen Zeitung’, has pointed out that the victim is a 73-year-old woman who has been working as a aid worker for 30 years. Nigerien media suggest that the assault occurred on Saturday afternoon.