By Xinhua,
Khartoum : Five of the nine Chinese oil workers abducted in southwest Sudan by militants last week have been killed by the kidnappers, the Chinese embassy in Sudan said.
Two abducted workers have escaped while two others are missing, the embassy said and urged the Sudanese government to intensify search for the missing.
Meanwhile China’s foreign ministry condemned the killing and urged the Sudanese governemnt to ensure the safety of the Chinese nationals in that country.
The Sudan Tribune said the bodies and the two escaped workers, who were injured, were found in a small village in the Kordofan area.
Khartoum accused the Darfur rebel group the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) of Monday’s killings. JEM, however, has denied any involvement.
The nine workers were seized at an oil field in Southern Kordofan state close to Sudan’s strife-torn Darfur region.