ADDIS ABABA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The seven Chinese oil workers kidnapped in an attack staged by rebels on an oil field in Ethiopia earlier in the week have been released, the Ethiopian Ministry of Defense told Xinhua on Sunday.

    The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed the news, saying that the kidnapped workers were on their way to Jijiga, capital of the Ethiopia's Somali state where they were kidnapped.

    "I can confirm that they have been released," a ICRC spokesman told reporters.

    "I don't know if they have got there yet. They are all civilians," he added.

    The Chinese embassy here, however, said the release is yet to be verified.

    The Chinese workers, who belong to the Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau under the China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, were kidnapped on Tuesday at one of the oil company's premises in Ethiopia's Somali state. Some 65 Ethiopians and nine other Chinese workers were killed during the attack.