Eleven foreign tourists kidnapped in Egypt

A group of 11 foreign tourists and four Egyptians were kidnapped Monday in a remote corner of southern Egypt and taken across the border to neighboring Sudan, the Egyptian government spokesman said.

Magdy Rady said the foreign tourists were five German nationals, five Italians and one Romanian.

The tourists were on a trip in Egypt's vast, rugged and mostly uninhabited western desert near the Sudanese-Egyptian borders when they were kidnapped.

The four Egyptians were believed to be tour guides and security guards.

The Italian and German foreign ministries confirmed that five nationals from each of their nations are among those taken.

Details remain sketchy and there was no word on the identity of the kidnappers or their motives.

But Rady said Egyptian and Sudanese authorities were coordinating on the kidnapping.

"There is no direct contact with the kidnappers. All the contact is indirect through the tourist company" that organized the desert trip, he said.