A busload of Ira-nians were abducted by gunmen while on a pilgrimage in Syria Saturday, Iranian media reported, the latest in a string of kidnappings of visitors from the Islamic Republic, a country allied to President Bashar al-Assad.
The 48 Iranians, planning to visit a shrine on the outskirts of Damascus of particular significance to Shiite Muslims, were kidnapped on the road from the airport, Iran's consul general in Syria was reported as saying by state broadcaster IRIB.
"We still do not have any information about the fate of this group," Majid Kamjoo said. "The consular section of the Iranian embassy in Syria is seeking to trace the kidnappers - with the co-operation of Syrian officials."
Syria's state television channel reported that "armed terrorist groups" had snatched the Iranians who intended to visit the Sayyeda Zeinab mosque, a popular pilgrimage site.
The bulk of the Syrians conducting a 17-month insurgency against Assad belong to the Sunni Muslim majority, while Assad comes from the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam which is the main religion of Iran.
Several groups of Iranians have been abducted in Syria since the uprising began.
Five Iranian engineers were kidnapped in the flashpoint city of Homs in December. Iranian media said that they had all been released by last month.
