Nineteen tourists were kidnapped in Upper Egypt on Monday, with Egyptian authorities now in touch with kidnappers to try to negotiate their release, latest media reports said, DPA reported The latest reports said that the 19 included five Germans, five Italians, eight Egyptians and one Romanian national. Initial reports had given a figure of 15 victims, including four Egyptians. The kidnapped were on a safari trip when they were seized by four masked men. In both Berlin and Rome, the respective foreign ministries confirmed that their nationals were among the kidnap victims. According to Italian official sources, the Italians abducted included three womewn and two men from city of Turin. Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Zuheir Garana was quoted in media as saying that negotiations with the kidnappers were underway. He said a ransom demand had been made. Garana however said that negotiations with the kidnappers were being conducted via the tourism company which organized the safari trip for the group.
