The Chinese embassy in Ethiopia on Tuesday confirmed that a group of gunmen attacked a Chinese oil company's premises in Ethiopia's Somali state, causing heavy casualties.

Nine Chinese workers were killed in the attack, said Xu Shuang, acting manager of the Chinese oil company.

Seven other Chinese workers were kidnapped by the gunmen, who also killed 65 Ethiopian employees working for the Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau under the China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, added Xu.

Later on Tuesday in a statement, the rebel group Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying their targets were Ethiopian soldiers guarding the premises.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said, "The Chinese government strongly condemns this atrocious armed attack, mourns for the Chinese and Ethiopian victims and expresses deep sympathies to their families and those injured in the attack."

Liu said China has asked Ethiopia to take concrete and effective measures to ensure personnel and property safety of Chinese agencies in the country and help resolve problems arising from the attack.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has ordered immediate reinforcements, including helicopters, to the area.

At around 6 a.m. local time on Tuesday, about 200 gunmen launched a sudden attack on the company's premises, which is located in Abole, a small town about 120 km away from Jijiga, Xu said.

After a fierce exchange of fire, the gunmen briefly took control of the premises with 37 Chinese workers and more than 120 Ethiopian employees. The shootout lasted for about 50 minutes.

The Ethiopian troops have recovered the premises and a military helicopter has carried the bodies of the Chinese victims to the state's capital Jijiga, according to Xu.

The Chinese company has chartered an airplane in China to fetch the bodies of the nine Chinese workers back home.

The ONLF, formed in 1984 and operating in the Ogaden region of the Somali State which borders with Somalia, took up arms against the Ethiopian government in the early 1990s, demanding independence for Ogaden.

Last year, the rebel group warned an Indian company to give up its plans for gas in the region.

Source: Xinhua