Seven workers from Australian mining and engineering company Macmahon have been kidnapped from its operations in Nigeria.
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A gang of around 30 militants attacked a convoy of vehicles on the outskirts of the city of Calabar and kidnapped the workers, with three being Australians and the others from New Zealand, South Africa and Nigeria.
The gunmen also shot dead one of the mining company’s drivers and then took the seven employees on a boat.
Foreign minister Julie Bishop said the government is working with authorities in Nigeria to rescue the Australians.
Nigerian police are also working with the country’s navy to ensure all victims are released safely.
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By GlobalDataBBC quoted Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying that the identity of the kidnappers was not yet known.
Turnbull said: "It is a very serious kidnapping, a very serious criminal assault, one person was killed and seven people have been kidnapped."
The exact number of people abducted by the militants is not clear.
Macmahon provides the complete package of mining services to clients throughout Australia and in New Zealand, South East Asia, Mongolia and Africa.
