14:06, 10 December 2009 | GMT +5
65 civilians kidnapped in S. Philippines
MANILA. December 10. KAZINFORM At least 65 civilians were kidnapped by a group of armed men Thursday morning in southern Philippine region of Mindanao, military and police officials said; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.

The civilians were abducted at a remote village of Prosperidad town in Agusan del Sur province at around 10:00 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) by undetermined number of an armed organized crime group known as Perez, the military's Eastern Mindanao Commander Raymundo Ferrer told reporters in a text message.
Troops were deployed to pursue the kidnappers, he said.
A police report, however, puts the number of hostages to 100, most of whom are children and teachers. Police said around 25 gunmen raided an elementary school in San Martin village and took away the victims; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.
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