Government rescues kidnapped girl

Ecuadorian authorities in helicopters have flown into the Amazon to rescue an indigenous girl kidnapped in a tribal dispute, the interior ministry said Tuesday.

The child was abducted in April after a clash that left an undetermined number of people dead, the ministry said. The dispute was between two indigenous groups, with the Taromenane tribe allegedly coming under attack from the Huaorani people.

The abduction was said to be in reprisal for the deaths of two elderly Huaorani by the Taromenane. Another girl was also abducted but for now remains in the hands of the Huaorani.

Some sources say that the tribal fight in April left 20 dead. The interior ministry did not specify what sparked the fighting.