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Six Ukrainian tourists missing in N Ossetia

The last contact with the Ukrainian tourists was on June 26

MOSCOW, June 30 (Itar-Tass) —— Six Ukrainian tourists have disappeared in the North Ossetian mountains, a source at the press service of the Emergencies Ministry's department in the republic told Itar-Tass by telephone.

A duty officer of the North Ossetian department at 10:40 on Saturday received information that contact was lost with a group of six tourists from Ukraine in the area of the Tsey tourist bases. The group supposedly went from the Tsey bases to the top of Uilpata on the southern crest.

The last contact with the Ukrainian tourists was on June 26. They sent an SMS message "We are under the top edge."

The group was not registered by the North Ossetian search and rescue service.

Rescuers of the Tsey search and rescue team have set out in search of the tourists.

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FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

The Collective Security Treaty came into force on April 20, 1994 to herald the emergence what would eventually become the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The six member-countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

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