Three hundred cement workers have been kidnapped by suspected ISIS militants in an area northeast of Damascus, Syrian state television said today.
The workers and contractors from Al Badia cement company were taken from their dormitories near the town of Dumeir, about 25 miles east of the capital.
Their employer has been unable to contact the workers since the abduction on Monday, state television quoted an industry minister as saying.
Islamic State fighters had launched an assault against government forces this week in the area.
"We haven't been able to reach our family members since noon on Monday after an attack by Daesh [ISIS] on the factory," a local resident told AFP.
"We have no information about where they are."
Indirect contact has reportedly been made in order to secure the workers' release, according to the BBC.
Al Badia is yet to receive any demands for ransom. A local official told state television that people in a nearby town saw more than 100 people they believed to be the workers being transported in a vehicle.
The number of employees reportedly kidnapped has varied depending on the source. UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "dozens" of staff are thought to have been taken by IS.
Islamic State has not claimed responsibility for the attack.
Additional reporting by Reuters.
