Two European tourists and their Filipino guide were abducted Wednesday afternoon by five gunmen off a town of the southern Philippine province of Tawi-Tawi, a military spokesman said.

The victims were identified as Elwold Horn, 52, from Netherlands, Lorenzo Vinciguerre, 47, from Switzerland, and Filipino guide Ivan Sarenas, 35, said Lt. Col. Randolf Cabangbang, spokesman of the military's Western Mindanao Command.

Cabangbang said the victims just landed ashore on board their motorized boat when they were forcibly taken by five unidentified armed men equipped with rifles and pistols, about 01:00 p.m. local time at Pangan village of Panglima Sugala town.

"The gunmen grabbed the two foreign nationals and their guide and dragged them into the waiting pumpboat in the shoreline and escaped," said Cabangbang.

He said that the abductors with their captives were monitored escaping towards Lambog village in the same town.

Police and marine forces have conducted pursuit and search and rescue operations, said Cabangbang, adding that it was not immediately known what group was responsible for the fresh abduction.

The abduction of the two foreign nationals came as the government security have not to secure the release of Australian national Warren Richard Rodwell, who was abducted last Dec. 5 in a coastal town of Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay province.

The kidnappers who were tagged to be members of the Abu Sayyaf group demanded 2 million U.S. dollars ransom in exchange for the release of Rodwell, a native of Sydney, Australia, who is married to a Filipina.