ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Fifteen French and British tourists were kidnapped in the remote desert of northern Ethiopia, one of the hottest and most inhospitable areas in the world, local sources said.

The French Foreign Ministry confirmed Friday that Western tourists have been kidnapped in Ethiopia, but declined to say how many or indicate their nationalities.

The tourists were in a convoy of four vehicles in Dalol, 500 miles northeast of Addis Ababa, traveling to salt mines in the Afar region, when they were kidnapped Thursday, a businessman and a tour operator who work in the area said. The British citizens were believed to be in the convoy as well, the businessman said.

Both spoke on condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity.

One of those kidnapped was Rossanna Moore, wife of Michael Moore, director of the British Council in Ethiopia, according to a diplomat who also spoke on condition of anonymity. Michael Moore refused to comment when reached Friday by The Associated Press.

A British Foreign Office spokesman said officials were aware that a number of Western nationals were reported missing in northeastern Ethiopia. He said British Embassy staff were urgently checking with their Ethiopian counterparts.

Ethiopia's government spokesman, Zemedkun Tekle, said officials were struggling to confirm the reports because the region is so remote. French Embassy officials were en route to the area Friday.

Bandits and a small Afar rebel group operate in the area the tourists visited, which is known for its difficult terrain and has an average annual temperature of 94 degrees Fahrenheit, but it often gets much hotter. The government requires all convoys to have a minimum of two cars and always travel with armed guards.

The tourists traveled with two armed police and an Afar guide, the tour operator said.

The ARDUF has been fighting for years against Ethiopia and Eritrea over lands inhabited by ethnic Afar.

The tour operator said the tourists were clients of Origins Ethiopia, a new tour agency specializing in Afar, and company officials told him that they have been unable to contact the tourists.

Origins Ethiopia officials did not immediately provide comment.

The tourists left Mekele on Sunday for a two-day drive to Hamedali, a remote village that is the last staging post before visiting the salt lakes, the operator said.

Then they went on a two-hour drive to Dalol to visit the salt mines and were supposed to return to Hamedali, he said.