JOHANNESBURG: A shipping company said five Indian sailors were kidnapped off the coast of Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta.    

A statement Wednesday from Medallion Marine said the men had been taken when their tanker was attacked Monday.

The company said officials were working with Nigerian authorities to free the men.

Nigeria's oil-rich delta is a kidnapping hotspot, as militant and criminal gangs target foreign oil workers, as well as middle- and upper-class Nigerians.

On Monday, kidnappers abducted four South Koreans and a Nigerian working for Hyundai Heavy Industries Co.