Egyptian locals have freed the 25 Chinese workers they held on Tuesday in Arish, North Sinai, an official with the Chinese embassy to Cairo said early Wednesday, Xinhua reported.
The workers were in good condition, Ma Jianchun, commercial affairs counsellor of the embassy told Xinhua.
They were freed at around 3 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) on Wednesday and were arranged to stay in a military hotel in Arish, Ma said.
"We were worried and nervous after being held by the locals. However, the Chinese embassy kept contact with us through cellphone text messages and was making efforts to rescue us, which made us feel relieved a lot," a 25-year-old worker surnamed Pan told Xinhua after his release.
"We had expected the problem be solved in one or two days. But it was settled so quickly. We felt we were like dreaming a dream," he said excitedly.
The Chinese workers were held on Tuesday by local Bedouins in Arish while on a road to a cement plant after ending their holidays in China.
The locals have been blocking the road for several days, demanding the release of their five relatives detained by Egyptian authorities because of their suspected involvement in attacks in South Sinai between 2004 and 2006, which left dozens dead. They also demanded Egyptian authorities halt natural gas exports to Israel.