Bodies of kidnapped German couple may have been found in Yemen

Sana'a, Mar 27, 2011- According to an unconfirmed media report, the bodies of a German couple kidnapped two years ago may have been found in Yemen. The pair was among nine people, including their three children, kidnapped in 2009.

An unconfirmed report from Germany's public broadcaster MDR suggest that the bodies of a German couple kidnapped in Yemen in 2009 may have been found.

According to the report, relatives found through Twitter messages from their own contacts in Yemen information regarding bodies that had been discovered that could be those of the couple. The family said the new news was more plausible than previous information they had come across.

On Sunday, the German foreign ministry said that there were "tips and rumors," but nothing verifiable or concrete.

The German embassy in the Yemeni capital Sanaa is looking into the new information but the current unrest in the country has made verifying the information difficult, especially as the embassy has reduced its staff to a minimum.

On June 9, 2009 a British engineer, two German nurses and a South Korean teacher were kidnapped along with the German couple and their three children.

Both nurses and the teacher were later found dead, but in May of last year, the German couple's two daughters were released near the border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia and picked up by Saudi authorities.

But no information surfaced about the whereabouts of the couple and their son.

Source: AFP and Reuters