2 Chinese hostages rescued from gang in Philippines

MANILA (AFP) - Philippine police have rescued two kidnapped Chinese mining prospectors and killed one of their abductors in a sting operation in the country's south, a police spokesman said on Tuesday.

Mr Li Defeng, 43, and Mr Yang Liguang, 48, were unharmed when police carried out the operation, which was disguised as a ransom payment drop, regional police deputy spokesperson Ms Zena Panaligan said.

The two Guangxi province natives were seized at a friend's home in the remote town of San Francisco on Mindanao island on Saturday by members of a kidnap gang that demanded a million pesos (S$29,300) in ransom, she said.

"The two had been scouting for mining opportunities and probably attracted the attention of the gang," Ms Panaligan said.