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At least two Germans killed in Ethiopia attack

Published: 18 Jan 12 14:06 CET
Updated: 18 Jan 12 15:47 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120118-40179.html

At least two German tourists were killed on Tuesday in an attack on a group of foreigners visiting a remote part of Ethiopia, the German government confirmed on Wednesday.

Three others from the group were also killed and at least two more Germans are missing, presumably kidnapped in the attack which left two others seriously injured.

The German Federal Criminal Police (BKA) is sending a team of officers to the Ethiopian capital Addis Abbaba to help the invesigation.

Jörg Ziercke, BKA president told the ARD television network on Wednesday it was not clear who was behind the attack.

“There are suspicions that it could be rebels, but I would be very careful. The coming investigation must determine that,” he said.

The German Foreign Office is taking a key role in coordinating European response to the attack and said on Wednesday it was still trying to determine what had happened.

The attack happened at the Erta Ale volcano, during a tour including German, Hungarian, Austrian and Italian members booked through a German company. The volcano lies in Ethiopia’s Afar region near the border of Eritrea.

No suspects have been arrested yet and the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments – which have a long-running border dispute – traded insults on Wednesday. The Ethiopians insisted that Eritrean-trained rebels were responsible, something the Eritreans denied.

Despite the Afar region being one of the hottest and most inhospitable in the world, its spectacular landscape is popular with tourists. Military and rebel activity in the area has prompted the German government to recommend people avoid it.

The Local/DPA/mdm

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Your comments about this article:

19:07 January 18, 2012 by Gretl
Do they confiscate common sense at the border? I am continually surprised at the foolhardiness of German travellers.
19:46 January 18, 2012 by ovalle3.14
?"There are suspicions that it could be rebels"

I thought it was people who abide to the law.
20:03 January 18, 2012 by derExDeutsche
uh oh, so it starts with the 'Sauerkraut Mörder'. Now we'll get non stop coverage at theLocal.et , no doubt.
22:56 January 18, 2012 by Bigfoot76
Greti said "I am continually surprised at the foolhardiness of German travellers."

I have found that "foolhardiness" is widespread amongst most nationalities not just the German travellers.
02:18 January 19, 2012 by arhracho
Why anyone would want to spend good money to go on vacation in Africa is amazing to me. Thousands of safe places to go, yet they choose to go to dangerous remote places ruled by thugs and criminals. Now the German government will pay millions of euros to rescue these idiots. There needs to be law if you do foolish things like these people did, your on your own. Like the saying goes, you can't fix stupid
08:55 January 19, 2012 by adnaw
That is true Bigfoot76 about no nationality having a monopoly doing foolhardy things.

My theory is that Gretl chose to speak about German travellers only so as not to be judgemental of other nationalities.

Personally I would not go to a region that has been designated as "hot spot" for criminal related events.

I do have compassion for the victims, who have been kiled and the others who are missing.

Maybe I have to much humanity,people the world over do have the "it will not happen

to me belief".
09:11 January 19, 2012 by DoubleDTown
I'm with Gretl. There's no excuse for the bad guys that killed the tourists, and there's no doubt any murder is a tragedy. I am also sure that somewhere in Ethiopia there is an American tourist, but I continue to be amazed by European tourists getting into trouble in hot spots. I truly feel it's because they walk the Earth believing that because they are not "imperialist Americans" that nobody will harm them.
12:33 January 19, 2012 by Larry Thrash
Was this a racist attack? Were the Germans attacked because they were Caucasians? Why isn't the press asking these questions? Would these questions be ask if it were Africans in Europe that were the victims? We all know the answer: political correctness.
17:06 January 19, 2012 by steerio
"Why anyone would want to spend good money to go on vacation in Africa is amazing to me."

They might have been geologists interested in the Erta Ale volcano, like one of the Hungarian victims was.
16:43 January 20, 2012 by raandy
Germans are not timid travelers, they go off the beaten path to see things. The problem is that traveling to remote places has become more dangerous.The risk factor has really increased in the last 10 to 15 years.

I would not travel to any Muslim country or any area that was involved in a conflict

but then again I am not a German ,Iam a more timid traveler.
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