Gunmen kidnap British national and his wife

UNIDENTIFIED gunmen abducted a British national and his Filipina wife from a resort in Zamboanga del Sur province in southern Philippines, where militants have been known to kidnap foreigners for ransom, police said.

Allan Hyrons and his wife, Wilma, were taken by six men, two of whom initially checked in at the couple’s resort, according to a police statement.

They were forcibly taken to the beachfront where a motor boat was waiting, according to police. Police, the military and Moro Islamic Liberation Front are coordinating in the rescue operation, according to the statement.

The provincial government of Zamboanga del Sur on Sunday said it was offering a P1-million reward for anyone who could provide leads for the arrest of the kidnappers, ABS-CBN News reported.

“The provincial government of Zamboanga del Sur is exhausting all measures to rescue the lives of the Hyrons couple who were abducted by unidentified gunmen at their resort in Tukuran on Friday night,” it said in a statement.

Tukuran Mayor Macario Tingson said he had warned the couple, who have been living in the town for 15 years, to be more vigilant.

The local government has alerted the Coast Guard around the town and nearby areas to track the couple, according to ABS-CBN News. — with Bloomberg