Isis: Officials confirm nine foreigners taken hostage by gunmen after Libya oil field attack

Officials have confirmed that nine foreigners have been taken hostage by suspected Islamic State (Isis)-backed gunmen following the latest attack on a Libya oil field.

Four Filipinos, two Europeans, two Bangladeshis and a Ghanaian were among the kidnapped victims while the countries scrambled to get in contact with the captors.

It is unclear whether the gunmen were backed by the Islamist group or if they were members of a local extremist group. No communication has been established with the abductors and no demands have been announced so far.

The Bangladeshi embassy in Tripoli has confirmed that at least one of its nationals was kidnapped and the diplomatic post was making efforts to get further details.

The al-Ghani oilfield, operated by Austrian firm VAOS, was attacked by unidentified gunmen on Friday, 6 March resulting in the death of eight guards. All the hostages were working for the oil company.

Two Czech diplomats have rushed to Libya to set up efforts in dealing with the situation. They are in the process of establishing contact with other security and intelligence establishments, as Czech hardly has any diplomatic presence in Libya.

The Philippines's foreign ministry spokesperson denied confirming the kidnappers belonged to IS, but in a press conference said: "These underscore the escalating threat to the safety and security of Filipino oil workers in Libyan oil fields which have been targeted by armed groups in recent weeks."

"In view of this worsening situation we appeal once again to the estimated 4,000 plus Filipinos who are still in Libya to get in touch with our embassy in Tripoli."