Gunmen Kidnap Five Oil Workers in Nigeria - Wall Street Journal

LAGOS, Nigeria—Gunmen kidnapped five workers and wounded two others operating a newly installed offshore oil rig in Nigeria's restive southern delta, oil firm officials said Monday.

In a statement, London-based Afren PLC said the attackers also targeted a support ship near the new oil rig off the coast of Nigeria's Akwa Ibom state in the Niger Delta. The company said the two workers suffered "wounds to the leg" in the attack and have been flown out by helicopter to receive medical equipment.

"We are working with the relevant authorities and the vessel and rig are both under the control of the company," Afren said. "Drilling operations on the rig are temporarily suspended. An update will be provided in due course."

It is unknown if the employees were locals or foreigners working with Afren, which explores eight oil plays in Nigeria with local partner companies. Officials with Nigeria's security services couldn't be immediately reached for comment Monday.

Militants in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta began a campaign of kidnapping and pipeline bombings in 2006, upset over pollution and the region's endemic poverty despite 50 years of oil production. Violence in the region dropped after a government-sponsored amnesty program last year offered militants the promise of job training and cash payouts. However, some have become disillusioned and others remain armed in the delta's winding creeks.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Monday's attack.

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Taiwan Rescue Workers Find Bus Missing in Mudslide - Voice of America

VOA News 23 October 2010

A tour bus is seen engulfed by a land slide caused by heavy rains from passing Typhoon Megi on the coast highway in Ilan county, north eastern Taiwan, 23 Oct 2010

Rescue workers in Taiwan searching a mountainside hit by massive mudslides caused by Typhoon Megi have found mangled parts of a vehicle they think is the bus that was carrying 19 missing Chinese tourists.

Taiwanese officials on Saturday said the bus was covered by thick mud. Military personnel found the front bumper and were attempting to dig out the wreckage from the landslide. There was no word on the fate of the passengers.

Chinese tourists on a second bus that was crushed by a huge boulder managed to escape by smashing the windows of the coach.

Overall, Taiwanese officials said at least 23 people remained unaccounted for.

As the Taiwan rescue operation continued, the weakened storm hit the Chinese mainland. It was downgraded to a strong tropical storm with maximum winds of 108 kilometers per hour and was expected to weaken further as it heads northwest through the Chinese interior.

Several buses carrying Chinese tourists were on a 10-kilometer stretch of Taiwan's Ilan coastal highway that was hit by rockslides on Thursday night. A 500-meter stretch of the highway collapsed, stranding 400 people. All had been rescued by Saturday.

Before hitting Taiwan, Megi killed at least 28 people in the Philippines. Disaster officials said more than 100,000 homes were damaged by the storm, causing $190 million in damage to buildings and crops.

Other storms in Southeast Asia in the last week have also caused massive flooding. The Associated Press said the death toll has reached 75 in Vietnam and 23 in Thailand.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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