By Andrew Cawthorne

MEKELE, Ethiopia, March 8 (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday expressed "deep concern" over the fate of five people linked to its embassy in Ethiopia who were abducted a week ago.

There has been no sign of the five Europeans and eight Ethiopians accompanying them since they were snatched at gunpoint from a village in one of the world's hottest and most inhospitable corners, Ethiopia's northeastern Afar region.

No one has claimed responsibility or stated their intentions yet, leaving friends and family of the victims holding vigils for their safety.

"We hope that those holding them will release them safely so that they can rejoin their families and friends as soon as possible," British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said in a statement. "Our paramount concern is for everybody's safety."

Beckett said: "I and my colleagues in government remain deeply concerned."

British media reports have repeatedly said that Britain's elite Special Air Service (SAS) was readying an operation to rescue the hostages.

"Rescue missions are only used as a last resort. We try to resolve these things peacefully, but we have to make prudent plans," a British Foreign Office spokeswoman in Ethiopia said.

REBELS, MILITIA, BANDITS

Britain does not comment on its special forces operations, but the SAS and other elite units are known to have soldiers trained in hostage rescue.

Ethiopia's state news agency repeated accusations from local officials that the five expatriates and eight Ethiopians with them were marched across the border to Eritrea by the 30-strong band who seized them during a tour of the remote Afar region.

Asmara has denied any involvement and said the hostages are not in its territory. The two Horn of Africa nations still have bitter relations over a 1998-2000 border war.

Beckett said her government was in close contact with both Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.

"We are ... grateful for all the cooperation that we are receiving. This includes Eritrea, and I would like to thank President Isaias for his government's support and help," she said.

British diplomats in Ethiopia declined to confirm the report that the hostages were in Eritrea, but said they believe a local Afar group is responsible. A witness and local officials have told Reuters the kidnappers may be Eritrean-based Afar rebels.

Afar separatist rebels, pro-government militia, and bandits all operate in the area of northeast Ethiopia, one of the hottest and poorest parts of the globe.

The five foreigners include three British men, an Italian-British woman, and a French woman. The eight Ethiopians were with them as guides and drivers.

In Mekele, a day's drive from the kidnap scene but the nearest town with an airport, several British officials monitored the case from a local hotel. (Additional reporting by Andrew Heavens in Addis Ababa)

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