Quito - Seven foreign oil workers held hostage in Ecuador's Amazon jungle region since October last by an unidentified armed group were freed yesterday, a source close to the hostages' employers said. Four US citizens, a New Zealander, an Argentine and a Chilean were released near Lago Agrio, 190 miles east of Quito near the Colombian border, and had made contact with their employers, the source said.
The release came a week after the hostages' employers paid a $13 million ransom, sources said.