Last update - 00:00 19/09/2006
Captors free 6 Columbians who were in Sinai on their way to Israel
By Ruth Sinai, Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies
Six Columbians abducted in Sinai were released by their captors and will be sent home, the Columbian embassy in Egypt said on Tuesday.
A group of 14 Columbians had arrived in Sinai in July, and wanted to cross the border into Israel to try and work as foreign workers.
Six of them managed to enter Israel, but two other women died of dehydration on the way. The bodies of the two women were found on August 21, around 10 kilometers north of the entrance to the Israeli city closest to the Egyptian border, Eilat.
The Families of the Columbian hostages said they had to pay a ransom of U.S.$ 6,000 for their release.
A Columbian diplomat told reporters that the hostages had undergone medical examinations and appeared to be in good health.
The kidnappers left the six, five women and one man, near the airport in Cairo and they found their way to the Columbian embassy on Monday.
The diplomat, who asked to remain unnamed, said Egyptian police had questioned the group and decided to deport them.
The border crossing between Israel and Egypt has frequently been used to smuggle arms and drugs from one country to the other, and is a main thoroughfare for human traffickers.
It is also one of the main ways prostitutes, often kidnapped and brought to Israel against their will are smuggled into the country.
The journey through the Sinai desert is treacherous at best and the perils to the travelers along the way can include violence, abuse, hunger and even death.