Syed Mazher, who was serving as a co-pilot with a private airline, was taken hostage by Rwandan rebels after they attacked an airplane at a airstrip in Kitambe, about 25km north of Walikale in the North Kivu province in Congo.

"Our Mission in Kinshasa is in continuous contact with the concerned DRC authorities to secure the safe release of Syed Mazher. The DRC authorities have assured us that they are taking necessary steps for this purpose," said an external affairs ministry statement. Congolese Army General Baigwa Dieudonne Amuli has blamed Rwandan Hutu FDLR rebels for the attack, sources said.

Reports said a Russian pilot of the plane managed to escape, by hiding in the plane.