THE HAGUE, May 27. /ITAR-TASS/. Several officials of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) who were attacked on Tuesday are in safety and are on the way back to their base, the OPCW said in its press release.

Syrian media reported earlier in the day that six OPCW officials and five people accompanying them had been kidnapped. The Syrian Foreign Ministry shouldered responsibility for this action on rebels, accusing anti-governmental forces of terrorism-related crimes targeted against employees of international organizations, including the United Nations and the OPCW.

A motor convoy of OPCW inspectors and UN officials going to the place of a suspected attack with use of chlorine came under attack on Tuesday morning. All participants in the mission are safe and sound and are going back to their base, the OPCW stated.

The OPCW mission came to Syria’s capital, Damascus, in early May to check last month’s reports about combat use of chlorine in several Syrian settlements.

Alleged incidents were discussed at the UN Security Council urging to hold a probe into them. On April 29, OPCW Director-General Ahmed Üzümcü instructed to deliver a special fact-finding mission to Syria.