Two British tourists and their driver, who were kidnapped at a national park famous for its rare mountain gorillas in Congo, have been freed, the British Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

‘I am delighted to announce that two British nationals who were held hostage in the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC] have been released,’ Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said in a statement.

‘I pay tribute to the DRC authorities and the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation for their tireless help during this terrible case,’ Johnson added.

The driver of the two men has also been released, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told dpa. The three were attacked and abducted on Friday in Virunga National Park, close to the city of Goma.

A park ranger was killed during the incident.

Attackers have killed 175 people over the last two decades at the park, including five rangers and a driver last month.

The vast reserve is in the country's North Kivu province, near the border with Rwanda and Uganda, and covers 7,800 square kilometres.

Rangers face threats from armed militias, poachers and bandits.

There has recently been a surge in fighting in North Kivu that has left hundreds of people displaced from their homes and spilled into the park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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