A female park ranger was killed trying to protect two British tourists after gunmen ambushed their vehicle in Congo’s Virunga National Park. 
 
 The woman, named locally as Rachel Katumwa, was gunned down as the two Britons were dragged away and marched through the forest by their attackers, who are now demanding a $200,000 ransom for their safe return, 
 
 Ms Katumwa is understood to be the first female ranger to be killed in the park, which has been riven by violence in recent years. 
 
 Tributes were paid to the 25-year-old ranger on Saturday as efforts by the Congolese Army continued to find the kidnapped Britons. 
 
 Emmanuel de Merode, Virunga National Park director, said Ms Katumwa was one of the Park’s 26 female rangers. He added that she was "committed, showing true bravery in her work". 
 
 One of Ms Katumwa's colleagues at Virunga National Park described her as “a devoted conservationist who died in the line of duty’”. ||||| LONDON (Reuters) - Two Britons and their Congolese driver held hostage in Democratic Republic of Congo have been released, Virunga National Park said on Sunday. 
 
 Robert Jesty and Bethan Davies were abducted along with their driver on Friday while visiting Africa’s oldest national park. 
 
 Park ranger Rachel Makissa Baraka, 25, was killed during the kidnapping, which took place near the village of Kibati just north of Goma. 
 
 The two freed British hostages said they were “very grateful for the excellent support” they had received. 
 
 They would not comment further, they said in a statement released by Britain’s Foreign Office. 
 
 Baraka was critically injured when the vehicle the four were travelling in was attacked by armed assailants, the park said on its website. 
 
 She was transferred to a nearby hospital to receive emergency medical treatment, but died shortly afterwards of her injuries, the park said. 
 
 “She was one of the Park’s 26 female rangers and was highly committed, showing true bravery in her work,” said Park Director Emmanuel de Merode. 
 
 Eastern Congo has been the scene of waves of violence over the past 2-1/2 decades and was at the epicentre of two wars between 1996 and 2003 that killed millions, mainly through hunger and disease. 
 
 Rebel groups and militias still control large swathes of the territory. More than 175 rangers have died protecting the park, which is in the rugged mountains and volcanic plains adjacent to Rwanda and Uganda. 
 
 It has nevertheless attracted a growing number of visitors keen to visit its endangered mountain gorillas and the active Nyiragongo volcano. 
 
 British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson paid tribute to the DRC authorities and the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation “for their tireless help during this terrible case”. 
 
 “My thoughts are now with the family of Virunga Park ranger Rachel Makissa Baraka who was killed during the kidnapping, and with the injured driver and the released British nationals as they recover from this traumatic incident,” he said. 
 
 Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson leaves the Foreign Office in Westminster, London, Britain, April 26, 2018. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls ||||| Two British nationals released following their kidnap in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday have been named as Bethan Davies and Robert Jesty. 
 
 The pair are both believed to work at King's College Hospital in London. They co-authored a medical paper managing disease in intensive care published last month. 
 
 A statement issued on behalf of Dr Davies, 29, and Dr Jesty, 28, said: "We are very relieved that there has been a positive outcome to the kidnapping and are very grateful for the excellent support we have received. We do not plan to comment further." 
 
 Nearly 48 hours after they were forcibly marched through the jungle following an ambush on their convoy just inside the Virunga National Park, the two Britons were freed in circumstances as murky as those of their abduction. 
 
 Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, announced the release of the pair, who have still not been named, but did not disclose whether their freedom had been secured through a rescue operation or negotiations. 
 
 The Britons, who were about to begin a gorilla trekking holiday, were treated for “minor injuries” but were otherwise unharmed, a park spokesman said. 
 
 “We can now confirm the release and safe return of passengers and driver who are currently receiving support and medical attention,” Virunga National Park said in a statement. ||||| Image copyright Bethan Davies and Robert Jesty Image caption The pair were abducted north of the city of Goma, North Kivu province 
 
 Two Britons kidnapped in a national park in DR Congo have said they are "very grateful" after their release. 
 
 Bethan Davies and Robert Jesty were among three people held when their vehicle was ambushed in Virunga National Park on Friday. 
 
 They paid tribute to the "excellent support" they had received and said they would not comment any further. 
 
 Park ranger Rachel Masika Baraka was killed by the kidnappers; a driver was injured and released. 
 
 The 25-year-old ranger is the eighth to be murdered at the park this year. 
 
 Park director Emmanuel de Merode said: "Ranger Baraka's life was tragically cut short in service to Virunga National Park. 
 
 "She was one of the park's 26 female rangers and was highly committed, showing true bravery in her work. 
 
 "We wish to extend our sincerest condolences to her family, and our thoughts are with all those affected by this incident." 
 
 The park declined to say how the two Britons came to be released and if the kidnappers had been detained. 
 
 Ms Davies and Mr Jesty said in a statement released by the Foreign Office: "We are very relieved that there has been a positive outcome to the kidnapping and are very grateful for the excellent support we have received. We do not plan to comment further." 
 
 Virunga National Park covers some 3,000 sq miles (7,800 sq km) and runs along the border with Uganda and Rwanda. 
 
 The park, which is a Unesco world heritage site, is home to critically-endangered mountain gorillas, lions, elephants and hippos. 
 
 The Foreign Office currently - and before the kidnapping - advises against travelling to the area. 
 
 "The opportunities for gorilla trekking in the Virunga National Park in North Kivu are limited, and armed groups are sometimes active within the park," the advice says. 
 
 "Tourists in eastern DRC have been known to be left very vulnerable as a result of trying to travel independently without escorted transport, and the risk of kidnap or injury as a result of armed or criminal activity remains high."
– A pair of British hikers looking for adventure in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been freed after being kidnapped, but a 25-year-old park ranger is dead. British authorities said Sunday that Bethan Davies and Robert Jesty had been freed after gunmen ambushed their vehicle in Virunga National Park on Friday, reports the BBC. During the ambush, the gunmen killed Rachel Masika Baraka, who was one of 26 female rangers at the park. She is believed to be the first female ranger killed at Virunga, which Reuters explains is located in a still-volatile region near Uganda and Rwanda but remains a draw for tourists worldwide because of its endangered mountain gorillas and active volcano. She is the eighth park ranger overall killed in this year alone. The details of how the hostages were freed remain murky, but ransom negotiations had been underway. The gunmen took the British pair on foot, along with their driver, who was eventually freed before the Brits. "One of them said to me ‘I will leave you here, if (they) find you, tell them we need $200,000 and if they keep on chasing us, we will kill these two,'" the injured driver tells the Telegraph. The kidnappers later reduced their demand to $30,000, according to another story in the Telegraph. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson announced the release but did not say whether any ransom was paid. "I pay tribute to the help of the DRC authorities and Congolese Institute of Nature Conservation," Johnson tweeted. "My thoughts with the family of the ranger tragically killed during the kidnapping."