Briton escapes kidnap gang

A British teenager today told of his amazing escape from Colombian kidnappers.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Matthew Scott, 19, revealed how he stumbled through the jungle, surviving only on water, until he was found by a local tribe.

After being force-marched through the Sierra Nevada mountains for 10 days, he managed to leap down a ravine when his captors were not looking.

Today he said: "The tribe that found me gave me soup and beans with a little salt and three oranges. Those are the only things I've eaten in the last 12 days."

He expressed his concern for the other hostages captured by guerrillas on 12 September during a backpacking trail, including 31-year-old fellow Briton Mark Henderson.

The Kogui tribe told how Mr Scott, covered in cuts and bruises, stumbled into their village. One said: "He was sick and vomiting. He was exhausted."

Matthew's family, from Clapham, said today they were delighted at his escape. His father James said: "We have spoken to him ... It's been a difficult time."