Tourists 'disappear' in Algeria

Four more German tourists have disappeared in Algeria, police said today, bringing the number of Europeans who have gone missing in the region to 21.

The latest group, two men and two women aged 45-64 from the southern German city of Augsburg, left for Algeria on February 22.

They were last heard from in the centre of the country on March 8.

Algerian authorities continue to search – so far without result – for the tourists, most of whom were travelling through the Sahara Desert by car or motorbike, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said.

Five groups of tourists have disappeared in Algeria since the end of February, comprising 16 Germans, four Swiss and a Dutch national.

Most went missing near desert towns such as Illizi, Hadjadi and Tanamrasset in an area popular with intrepid travellers.

The German foreign ministry said it was unclear whether the tourists had been kidnapped or were victims of violent crime.

Algeria’s Le Matin newspaper has speculated the tourists may be victims of al-Qaida terrorists who could have entered the North African country across the country’s little-controlled desert borders.