Officials Still Hopeful Hostages Will Go Free

Indian officials said Thursday they were hopeful the four Westerners being held hostage by Kashmiri guerrillas would be released within a few days.

The officials gave no reason for their optimism, except to say it was a good sign the hostages were still safe after seven weeks in captivity.

On Wednesday, India released photographs and a tape recording of the hostages that had been taken Friday - five days after the decapitated body of a fifth captive, a Norwegian, was discovered in a Kashmiri village. In their brief messages, the four captives said they were fit and well.

A group called Al-Faran is holding Spokane psychologist Donald Hutchings, 42, as well as two Britons and a German.