8 Hostages Fly Home From Colombia

Eight people taken hostage when their domestic Venezuelan flight was hijacked to Colombia last month were freed and returned to Venezuela. A Venezuelan army helicopter touched down at a military base in the border town of Guasdualito, and Venezuelan national television showed the former hostages climbing out and waving to relatives. Interior Minister Ignacio Arcaya, who accompanied the hostages, said all were “in perfect health.” They had been held by Colombian guerrillas in a camp just inside Colombia, officials said. Venezuelan and Colombian officials rejected rebel claims that they did not hijack the plane. Leftist guerrillas had said the plane was hijacked by Venezuelan dissidents opposed to President Hugo Chavez.