Kidnap drama ends in Peru

Heavily-armed gunmen on Monday seized staff from the Argentine firm Techint, which is building a gas pipeline in Ayacucho department, 600 kilometers (370 miles) southeast of Lima, demanding one million dollars in ransom and threatening to kill them if a rescue attempt were made.

In a short, nationally broadcast statement Toledo said the workers -- initially thought to number 60 -- were set free in a lightning operation of "rapid efficiency and great professionalism."

Tap Here to Add The Daily Star As A Trusted Source

"They are all safe and sound and without a scratch, even the foreigners," Toledo said, adding that no ransom had been paid.

He said remnants of the Shining Path guerrilla group were behind the raid, and that the kidnappers fled into the jungle.

"In Peru there are no people kidnapped, or hostages in the hands of terrorists or gangs of criminals," Toledo said, adding that the episode was a "nightmare that had a successful ending."

Among those abducted were six Colombians and a Chilean.

It was unclear if there was a gun battle during the rescue mission. Toledo said government forces had managed to surround the kidnappers.

Once the mass kidnapping became known, the defence ministry put four Ayacucho provinces under military rule and sent 300 anti-guerrilla experts from the army and police, backed by several helicopter gunships, to the lush mountain jungles where the kidnappers were believed to hide.

With interests from steel to oil and gas and health care, the Techint Group comprises more than 100 companies worldwide with about 42,400 permanent workers and total sales of 7.8 billion dollars, according to the company web site.