Officials travel to area of kidnapping

British and Danish officials in Bangladesh have travelled to the area where a British civil engineer and two Danes were abducted in a bid to secure their release.

A Foreign Office spokesman says a member of the High Commission in Dhaka and the Danish Ambassador have travelled to the Chittagong Hill Tracts, where the Westerners were working when they were kidnapped.

Tim Selby, 28, originally from Oldham, Greater Manchester, had been working in the country for almost a fortnight when he was abducted at gunpoint with the Danes.

Jon Selby, 30, says his brother, who joined the civil engineering firm Batby Ross Silcock in Newcastle-upon-Tyne after completing his studies, had been due to return to the UK today.

He says: "My mum is very upset. At the minute, he is miles away in the middle of the jungle and nobody knows where he is.

"We are very concerned for his safety but we are trying to stay optimistic."

He says the family believes that the people who abducted his brother were politically-motivated, rather than bandits. There have been reports that the unidentified gunmen have demanded a £1.2m ransom.

Mr Selby says: "He has travelled all around the world and has been to Bangladesh once before about two years ago.

"He has also worked in Armenia - not exactly a glamour spot - so he is fairly worldly-wise about the dangers. But you cannot plan for anything like this."

The Foreign Office spokesman says: "We are doing everything we can in co-operation with the Danes and the Bangladeshi authorities to secure Mr Selby's release."