MILITANTS RAID OIL RIG, HOLDS 7 HOSTAGE

• Two crew members are in stable condition after being shot
• The rig is off the southern coast of Nigeria
• No one has claimed responsibility for the attack
• Nigerian officials offer no comment

 Seven people have been kidnapped by armed militants who raided an oil rig off the Niger-Delta coast in Nigeria. The hostages are from America, France, Candada and Indonesia.

According to the London-based Afren PLC today (Tuesday), two Indonesians, two Americans, two French and one Canadian were kidnapped. The Indonesians were not included in an earlier list released by the company.

Two crew members are in stable condition at a shore-based clinic, where they were airlifted after being wounded in the leg.

The rig, located off the southern coast of Nigeria at Okoro field, is run by Transocean.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the U.S. is in contact with Nigerian officials.

"We [are], of course, concerned about their safety and hope for their immediate release," he said. "We are working with Nigerian authorities ... to pursue their prompt release, and there's an investigation already under way."

Drilling operations in the Okoro field off Nigeria have been temporarily suspended, both companies involved said.

In a news release, Afren said a "security breach" occurred soon after its "High Island VII jackup rig" arrived, but before drilling had commenced.

"The situation has not been resolved. Afren is doing everything it can to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, and it is working with relevant agencies in the Nigerian government," Afren spokesman James Henderson told CNN.

Transocean operates six offshore rigs in Nigeria -- two deepwater rigs, two ultra-deepwater rigs and two shallow-water rigs, including the one involved in the incident -- according to Cantwell.

The company has "taken additional safety precautions" on its other assets in the west African nation, said Guy Cantwell, a spokesman for the Houston, Texas-based company.

There were no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, and Nigerian officials would not comment about the incident.

Several militant groups in the oil-rich Niger Delta have been battling the government for years over the distribution of the country's oil wealth. One of the largest such groups -- the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta -- is known for its kidnappings of oil workers.

CNN