Two aid workers with Save the Children have been kidnapped in war-torn Somalia, the charity said Friday.
"Save the Children can confirm that two members of staff were taken by armed gunmen last night from a Somali town near the Ethiopian border," the British charity said in a statement, DPA reported.
"At this point, Save the Children has no further information as to the whereabouts or well-being of their staff."
One of the men is believed to be British, while the other is Somali.
Britain's Foreign Office said it was "aware of the reports and was urgently investigating."
The two men were seized in Adado, central Somalia, which lies in a region seen as less dangerous than areas further south. They were believed to be scoping out the possibility of establishing a presence in the area for the charity.
Somalia is in the grip of an Islamist insurgency, which has been running for almost three years and has claimed over 21,000 lives.
The chaos-ridden Horn of Africa nation has not had an effective central government since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
Pirate groups and various armed militia also operate in the country, seizing aid workers and seamen for ransom.
Foreign aid workers rarely venture into south and central Somalia due to the dangerous conditions.