Rebels free 7 hostages in Ecuador

Quito - Seven foreign oil workers held hostage in Ecuador's Amazon jungle region since October last by an unidentified armed …

Quito - Seven foreign oil workers held hostage in Ecuador's Amazon jungle region since October last by an unidentified armed group were freed yesterday, a source close to the hostages' employers said. Four US citizens, a New Zealander, an Argentine and a Chilean were released near Lago Agrio, 190 miles east of Quito near the Colombian border, and had made contact with their employers, the source said.

The release came a week after the hostages' employers paid a $13 million ransom, sources said.

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