Six Bulgarian nationals working for a company contracted by the United Nations World Food Programme have been captured by SPLA-North rebels in Sudan’s South Kordofan state, Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

The helicopter, which had three company employees and a three-person crew, made a forced landing on Monday near Kadugli town in South Kordofan while carrying out a scheduled flight between Rumbek town in South Sudan and the Sudanese capital Khartoum on 26 January, the ministry said.

A military aircraft sent by Sudanese authorities located the helicopter and found no signs of visible damage, the statement added.

The Foreign Ministry further said the six Bulgarians are being held by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North rebel group that is fighting the Khartoum government.

The statement also quoted the director of the Bulgarian company saying that the six abductees were “in a safe place and feeling well."

For his part, the SPLA-North spokesman at the peace talks with the government delegation Mubarak Ardol confirmed that they have captured six Bulgarian nationals in an area under their control near Kadugli town.

Ardol said they are now talking to UN officials to release the six persons and the aircraft that was forced to land recently.

In a press statement, the rebel official asserted that the six persons seized are Bulgarian nationals. He did not provide further details about the location of the aircraft.

The rebels suspected the helicopter was affiliated with the Sudanese government, Catholic Radio Network reported.