An Indonesian man believed to be among six foreign workers kidnapped from a Sabah beach resort earlier this month has been rescued by police in the southern Philippines, officials said today.

Police recovered Nonoy Arkusil, 19, in the seaside town of Languyan in the Tawi-Tawi island group on Monday, said armed forces vice chief of staff Lieutenant General Rodolfo Garcia.

Regional police commander Chief Superintendent Akmad Omar said Arkusil told police the six were held by the Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim guerrilla group operating in the southern Philippines.

The recovery of Arkusil was also confirmed by the Languyan police chief, Senior Inspector Carlito Yantada, speaking from the town in a telephone interview over DXMS radio.

Omar said Arkusil told police that he believed his companions were used as "human shields" and were later murdered by their captors. Police teams were scouring the area for any sign of their bodies.

However Yantada said police have not found any of the five other ex-hostages.

Killed while fleeing

Garcia said the rescued victim was to be airlifted to the military southern command here later Tuesday.

Arkusil told authorities that "his companions were mercilessly shot by this armed group that held them" as they tried to flee, Garcia told ABS-CBN television in Manila.

"The armed group holding them - from which they were trying to escape - were able to catch up with them. He saw from afar the five being shot at, and presumably being killed," he added.

Asked which group was responsible for the kidnapping, he said: "He cannot identify as of yet."

Arkusil "is already on his way to the the southern command. We will get more data from this recovered victim, identified to be Indonesian and 19 years old," Garcia said.

Marines have been dispatched to the area to coordinate with police and try to recover the five bodies, suggesting that even the military is still holding out hope that they could still be alive, Garcia said.

Omar identified the suspects as Abu Sayyaf rebels, a small Islamic guerrilla group operating in the southern Philippines who have made two cross-border kidnapping raids on the Malaysian section of Borneo island over the past three years.

Malaysian and Philippine security officials earlier ruled out Abu Sayyaf hand in the Oct 5 abduction.

"The hostages were said to be used as human shields by the Abu Sayyaf rebels during the clash. There was a bloody firefight," Omar said, adding that Arkusil was now under the care of police in the area. - AFP