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Twenty-five Chinese nationals working at a cement factory in Egypt have been taken hostage by a group of locals in the northern Sinai town of Arish.

The Chinese -- 24 workers and a translator-- were riding a bus to their plant when they were stopped by locals on a road in Arish. They were then taken to a makeshift tent nearby. Commercial affairs counsellor of the Chinese embassy Ma Jianchun said he was on his way to Arish to deal with the incident. The Chinese workers are said to be safe and some have been able to make contact with the embassy by mobile phone.

Chinese Ambassador Song Aiguo has spoken with officials of the Egyptian interior and defense ministries, urging the Egyptian side to put the safety of Chinese workers first, properly handle the incident, and secure their release as soon as possible. The locals are demanding that the Egyptian government release a number of their relatives detained several years ago over their suspected involvement in attacks in south Sinai.