Five foreign tourists have been killed, and two kidnapped, in an attack in northern Ethiopia.

Ethiopian officials say the attack occurred Tuesday in the Afar region. They say two Germans, two Hungarians, and one Austrian were killed in an ambush — while a Belgian and a national from another country were wounded.

Officials also said two Germans and two Ethiopians were kidnapped. Ethiopia said the attack was carried out by Eritrean-backed rebels. Eritrea dismissed the accusation as “an absolute lie.”

Ethiopia says the foreigners were part of a group visiting a volcanic region in Afar at the time of the ambush. Several of the tourists were flown back to the capital, Addis Ababa, on Wednesday, including a man in a wheelchair. Many hid their faces while being taken away in diplomatic vehicles.

Ethiopia often accuses neighboring Eritrea of supporting militant groups inside its borders. Eritrea, once a part of Ethiopia, gained its independence in 1991 after a 30-year war. The two Horn of Africa countries later fought a border war from 1998 to 2000, and tensions remain high.

The Afar region has ancient salt mines, hot springs and volcanoes that entice many sightseers. In 2007, a group of European tourists was kidnapped there, but they were later released