ADDIS ABABA, April 27 (Reuters) - Eight Ethiopians were beaten by Eritrean troops during a two-month ordeal after being kidnapped with five Europeans, according to comments published on Friday by Ethiopian state-run media.

The group was abducted on March 1 near the Eritrean border by gunmen who later said they were separatist rebels. Addis Ababa says Asmara masterminded the operation. Eritrea denies it.

"The hostages were beaten by gunmen, who wore Eritrean military uniform, while they were kidnapped," the official Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) said in a report.

One of the hostages told the agency they were subjected to continuous interrogation by Eritrean soldiers and at times threatened with death.

"We were forced to march barefoot for five days and nights after we were kidnapped from the Ethiopian territory of Afar and taken into Eritrea," another hostage, Yonas Mesfin, was quoted as telling ENA.

The eight men were freed on Sunday before being reunited with family and friends in the capital late on Thursday.

The five Europeans -- three British men, an Italian-British woman and a French woman -- were released on March 13.

The expatriates were all linked to the British diplomatic community in Addis Ababa and have declined to discuss their time in captivity on the advice of Britain's Foreign Office.

Tensions are rising between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which fought a 1998-2000 border war in which some 70,000 people were killed.

Experts say the worst fighting for 16 years in Somalia, where Eritrea is accused of arming Islamist rebels against the Ethiopian-backed government, has stoked tempers further.

And Addis Ababa said Asmara was behind guerrillas who raided a Chinese-run Ethiopian oilfield on Tuesday, killing 74 people.

Eritrea denied the accusation and said Ethiopia was seeking to build a case for "a pretext for belligerent action against Eritrea".

AlertNet news is provided by