TWO young British women are recovering after unknown attackers in the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar threw acid into their faces, the first such assault against foreigners in the popular tourist destination, police say.
Late on Wednesday night two men on a moped threw the acid at the 18-year-old women as they strolled through the streets of Stone Town, the historical centre of the capital of the semi-autonomous Tanzanian archipelago, splashing their faces, chests and hands.
"Police in Zanzibar have launched a manhunt, and we ask for public assistance in identifying the attackers," deputy police commissioner Mkadam Khamis said on Thursday.
The attack on the women, both working as volunteer teachers at a school on the island, came at the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, and as people began to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
"The motive for the attack on the volunteers aged 18 years, has not been established. Investigations are on until we apprehend the criminals," Khamis said.
The women were flown to Tanzania's economic capital Dar es Salaam for treatment, where their injuries were said to be "not life-threatening", said Saleh Mohammed Jidawi, a senior health ministry official.
Britain's Foreign Office said they were "providing consular assistance" to the women, but gave no further details.
Tourism is the main foreign currency earner for Zanzibar, famed for its white-sand beaches and historical buildings in Stone Town, which is listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO.
"It may threaten tourists," said Abdul Samad, chairman of the Zanzibar Association for Tourism Investors.
Tensions between the majority Muslim population and Christians in the archipelago (some three per cent of the 1.2 million people on the islands) have risen in recent years, as well as on mainland Tanzania.
In Tanzania, where both Muslims and Christians each make up around a third of the population, the communities traditionally live peacefully side-by-side.
In Zanzibar, some more conservative elements of the Muslim community object to foreign tourists who wear revealing clothes, as well as bars selling alcohol.
There have been a series of attacks in the archipelago, including an acid attack on a Muslim cleric in November, and the shooting death of a Catholic priest in February.
In December another priest was shot and wounded.
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