29 Tourists Are Missing in Algeria
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BERLIN — Twenty-nine European tourists are missing in the Sahara Desert in Algeria, and officials fear they have been attacked or kidnapped.
German and Austrian police have joined the hunt for the vacationers, some of whom have not been heard from since February, officials said Monday.
The missing -- 15 Germans, eight Austrians, four Swiss, a Swede and a Dutchman -- were thought to have headed into the desert, bound for southern Algeria, site of ancient graves, but also known as a region of arms smugglers and drug traffickers.
The tourists, ages 19 to 64, were traveling in six groups, some in four-wheel drive vehicles, some on motorbikes. A number were last seen Feb. 21.
German police published pictures of the missing Germans on a Web site, seeking information on their whereabouts.
Officials believe the tourists encountered problems somewhere in a vast area stretching from Illizi, 750 miles southeast of Algiers, to Tamanrasset, 300 miles southwest of Illizi.
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