11 tourists, eight Egyptians kidnapped

CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- A group of 11 European tourists and eight Egyptians have been kidnapped in the southern Egyptian desert and apparently taken to neighboring Sudan, an Egyptian government spokesman said on Monday.

The tourists included five Germans, five Italians and one Romanian, Magdi Rady, a spokesman for the Egyptian prime minister, told CNN.

Egyptian authorities denied earlier reports that it was negotiating with the kidnappers.

The Egyptians were said to be two safari company employees, the owner of the company, a security officer and drivers assigned to accompany the group.

The Egyptian government believes the kidnappers have no ties to any terror group, according to Rady, who said negotiations are under way to secure their release. Watch the latest details about the kidnap »

The Italian and German Foreign Ministries confirmed that five Italians and five Germans were among those kidnapped. Both ministries are in touch with the relevant authorities to resolve the situation.

Italian media identified the Italians as two men and three women, all between the ages of 49 and 71.

The group was abducted in the country's vast, rugged and mostly uninhabited western desert near Wadi al-Gadid, about 400 km (250 miles) west of the southern Egyptian city of Aswan, Rady said. See map showing where tourists were kidnapped »

Germany said the group was missing since Friday. The tourists were setting up their tents when the armed kidnappers drove up, an anonymous Egyptian security official told AP.

One of the Italians called his wife by cell phone and told them the kidnappers were "African" in appearance, the official added.

The group was traveling in four jeeps and apparently taken across the border into Sudan. Egyptian authorities have contacted authorities in Khartoum for assistance, he said.

The tourist group started their safari last week in Dakhla in western Sahara Desert, Rady said.

Egyptian authorities became aware of the kidnapping through the wife of the safari company owner. Egyptian TV, citing a senior official, reported that the owner telephoned his wife and said the kidnappers were asking for a ransom payment.

An Italian foreign ministry official urged the media to be cautious about reporting possible misinformation, because it could jeopardize negotiation efforts.

"The situation is delicate and we are asking everyone, including the media, to exercise maximum caution as to what they report," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

"We are in contact with Egyptian officials, and our priority at this time is the safety and safeguard of the hostages."

No previous instances of tourists being attacked in the Western desert have been recorded, but several clashes took place in Egypt's Nile Valley during the 1990s when President Hosni Mubarak's government battled Muslim militants.

Militants killed 58 foreign tourists in the southern temple city of Luxor in 1997. After 2004, attacks on foreigners moved to the resorts of the Sinai peninsula, where 121 people, including tourists, were killed in several bombings.

CNN's Ben Wedeman, Alessio Vinci, Frederik Pleitgen and Caroline Faraj contributed to this report.

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