Two British citizens kidnapped while on gorilla visit in Democratic Republic of Congo

The tourists are believed to have been kidnapped while visiting the Virunga National Park. Credit: PA

Two British citizens have been kidnapped in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

ITV News understands that the pair, a man and woman, were taken while visiting the Virunga National Park, a renowned gorilla sanctuary in the east of the African country, on Friday.

A female park ranger travelling with the tourists was killed and a male member of staff from the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (CINC) was injured.

Bullet holes on a sign of the Albert National Park, the previous name of the Virunga National Park. Credit: PA

The park has seen rising violence in recent months as armed groups attempt to steal resources like charcoal.

They have said that five young rangers and a driver were killed in an ambush last month.

It was the deadliest attack in recent years, taking the total number of rangers killed to 175.

According to local media, the bandits are demanding a $200,000 ransom for the release of the captives.

Virunga is a Unesco world heritage site, covering 3,000 square miles on the DRC border with Uganda and Rwanda.

It is home to to around a quarter of the world's critically endangered mountain gorillas and other endangered species as well as lions, elephants, hippos and a host of rare bird species.

The Foreign Office has issued warnings not to travel to large parts of the country.