Yemen (MNN) — Nine foreigners from Germany, Britain and
South Korea disappeared Friday, June 12, while working at a hospital in
northern Yemen in the province of Saada, according to Associated Press.
On Monday, June 15, local shepherds found the mutilated bodies
of three women. One was a 34-year-old from South Korea, identified as an
aid-worker by South Korea and a teacher by Yemenis officials.
The two others were identified as German nurses. According
to Brake Bible School in Lemgo where the two were third-year students, they had internships in Yemen since the beginning of June. They
have only been identified as Anita G. and Rita S.
Brake Bible School conveyed on their Web site their deepest
sympathies to the relatives, friends and former colleagues of the three women.
According to AP, a man identified as Rita's father told a
German newspaper that "relatives had warned her the internship could be dangerous,
but she was determined to work with Yemen’s poor." He then called her an
"angel."
Of the six others who disappeared in Yemen, five were
a German family, which included three young children. The other individual was
a British man.
Rumors have spread as to the fate of the six, but currently their
fate remains unknown.
"I can assure you…we will do everything in our power to
bring home safely those still missing in Yemen,” German
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told AP.
This attack is not an isolated, as "attacks on foreigners
are not rare in Yemen," according to AP.
While the Yemen government blamed the Shiite rebel group,
al-Qaida, the group denied any connections with the attack.
The nine
were ministering with Worldwide Services, which issued this statement: "The news of the killing of the three women will
be a shock also to the local people, with whom a warm relationship exists
that has been strengthened by the humanitarian efforts of so many years."
Please pray for the families and friends of the confirmed
victims and for the safety of the six still missing.
For updates on this situation as they become available, click here .
