Czechs feared kidnapped in Lebanon

Five Czech nationals and their Lebanese driver are missing in Lebanon, the Czech foreign ministry says.

Their empty car with documents and money was found in the Kefraya region in the eastern Bekaa Valley on Friday.

A security operation is now under way amid fears the group was kidnapped. Czech officials are not releasing their names for security reasons.

In 2011, seven Estonian cyclists were abducted at gunpoint in the Bekaa Valley and released four month later.

“At this moment we can confirm we are missing five Czech citizens together with one Lebanese citizen,” Czech Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Michaela Lagronova was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

“A huge security operation is going on now in Lebanon. We are of course in close contact with Lebanese security forces and also with the government,” she added.

Some areas of the Bekaa Valley, east of the capital Beirut, are notorious for lawlessness and drug trafficking.