'Ransom demand' for Sahara tourists

The first group of hostages arrived home in May

Malian authorities have reportedly received a video cassette of the group of European tourists abducted in the Sahara desert which confirms a ransom demand made by their abductors.

Germany's N-TV television reported that a suspected Islamic group was demanding about $5m for each hostage - $70m in total.

"We have a copy of a cassette where you can clearly see the hostages. They speak in German and mention a ransom," a Malian official, who requested anonymity, told the AFP news agency.

"The hostages are well, even if they appear tired," he said.

Negotiations were under way with the kidnappers through an intermediary, but no quick release was expected, N-TV quoted unnamed diplomats in Mali as saying.

The German foreign ministry declined to comment.

Earlier in the week, one of the 15 hostages, a 45-year-old German woman, was reported to have died from heatstroke while in captivity.

There had been no word about the fate of the other 9 Germans, four Dutch and one Swiss since another group of 17 adventure tourists from Europe was freed in May.

The tourists were seized while travelling without guides in the scenic south of the country between February and March and are thought to be held near the Tuareg city of Illizi, 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) south of Algiers.

Since the tourists' disappearance, four motorcycles and a jeep thought to belong to the group have been found in southern Algeria, the country's El Watan newspaper reports.