Two British women attacked with acid in Zanzibar

Two young British women were recovering after unknown attackers in the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar threw acid into their faces, the first such assault against foreigners in the popular tourist destination, police said on Thursday.

On Wednesday evening two men on a moped threw the acid at the 18-year- old women as they strolled through the streets of Stone Town, the historical centre of the capital of the semi-autonomous Tanzanian archipelago, splashing their faces and chests.

“Police in Zanzibar have launched a manhunt, and we ask for public assistance in identifying the attackers,” deputy police commissioner Mkadam Khamis said.

The women were flown to Tanzania’s economic capital Dar es Salaam for treatment, where their wounds were said to be “not life threatening”, according to Saleh Mohammed Jidawi, a health ministry official.

Hospital workers have said the liquid thrown at the two 18-year-olds, identified as Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup, may have been diluted acid.