Search Underway for Russian UTAir Employees Kidnapped in Sudan

UTair Aviation has confirmed that two Russians kidnapped in Darfur work for the company. UTAir also said that a search operation for the missing employees is currently underway.

"Two UTAir employees, working for the UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID), were kidnapped in the Sudanese city of Zalingei at approximately 10:30 on January 29. Unknown gunmen on six vehicles blocked a UNAMID minivan, forcing people out. The passengers were then taken to an undisclosed location," UTAir said in a statement, released on Tuesday.

The UN and Africa Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) also confirmed the abduction.

"Unidentified militants on Jan. 29 kidnapped two Russian pilots in Zalingei as they were on board a bus in the city," UNAMID spokesman Ashraf Eissa told Turkish news agency Anadolu on Tuesday.

UTair Aviation has not received any demands from the kidnappers, according to the statement.

A search operation, involving UTAir, UNAMID and diplomats, is currently underway.

An emergency response center has been established in Sudan to help locate and release two kidnapped employees of Russian UTair airlines, Russian Embassy in Sudan spokesman Artur Safukov told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

"The Embassy, as well as Sudanese authorities and UNAMID leadership spares no effort to free Russian nationals as soon as possible. A crisis center has already been set up and is probing the incident," said press-attaché of the Russian Embassy in Sudan Artur Safukov.

On Monday, Central Darfur Governor Jaafar Abdelhakam told Sputnik that two Russian pilots working for a company contracted by UNAMID had been kidnapped by masked gunmen on January 29.