Four Italians were among six employees of the United States oil company Chevron who were abducted on Tuesday in Nigeria, Italy’s Ansa news agency reported.
The other victims were a US national and a person from Croatia, the report added.
The Foreign Ministry in Rome has confirmed the abduction of the four Italians.
A member of the Nigerian navy was killed when the kidnappers used explosives in the attack on the oil platform off the Nigerian coast.
Foreigners are often kidnapped in the Niger Delta, but are usually released after a ransom has been paid. In the past five months alone, five Italians were kidnapped and released after a few weeks in captivity. — Sapa-dpa