Women Abducted; Ransom Demanded

A group of at least 10 armed men kidnapped two European women Tuesday from a hotel in northern Costa Rica, police said.

The kidnappers demanded $1 million in a subsequent phone call, according to a police interview broadcast on the local Radio Monumental.

Nichola Fleuchaus of Germany and Regula Susana Sigfried of Switzerland were abducted in the town of San Carlos near the Nicaraguan border. Police believe they were taken to nearby mountains.

Sigfried has lived in Costa Rica for five years and owns a travel agency.

The kidnapping was the third in Costa Rica in three weeks. Two other women, both Costa Rican, were released unharmed after their families paid ransoms.