Colombian rebels kidnap 23 oil workers

Gunmen may belong to old rebel insurgency

BOGOTA, Colombia - Suspected FARC guerrillas have captured 23 Colombian oil contractors carrying out exploration work for Canada's Talisman Energy in a rare mass kidnapping, authorities said on Monday.

Colombia, Latin America's No 4 oil producer, has recently enjoyed a boom in petroleum and mining investment as violence from its long war has subsided, but illegal armed groups remain a threat in remote areas where the state's presence is weak.