Updated 6.35pm - A Maltese man abducted in Libya two days ago made brief phone contact with the hospital where he worked in Tripoli, saying he is well, government sources said.

Pierre Baldacchino, 36, manager at Saint James Hospital in Tripoli, was abducted on Monday evening as he was being driven home from work. Three Libyan men who were with him were allowed to go free.

The reasons for the abduction are still not known.  

[attach id=476727 size="medium"]Pierre Baldacchino[/attach]

The Libya Herald reported this afternoon that while it is feared that the 36 year-old pathologist may be yet another victim of kidnappers holding him for ransom, there is hopeful speculation that he had been seized so that he could treat wounded gunmen.

The Maltese government is trying to help track down the father-of-two girls, who has worked at the hospital for several months.

Meanwhile, colleagues at the hospital expressed shock at the news saying Mr Baldacchino was treated like a family member by his Libya colleagues. “Pierre has given all he has to work with and help patients in Libya,” one colleague said.

Saint James Hospital International managing director Jean Claude Muscat said the hospital was working with the government and other authorities to secure Mr Baldachino’s safe release.

Mr Baldacchino is the third Maltese to be abducted in Libya this year. Noel Sciberras, director of a company that runs car parks there, was abducted by a gang in Tajoura and held ransom for 47 days before being rescued by a team of Libyan special forces in November. Mr Sciberras’s captors reportedly demanded €5 million in ransom. No money, however, was paid for his freedom.

Earlier, in July, oil worker and former AFM captain Martin Galea returned home safe after 11 days held captive. The government secured his release through Libyan interlocutors. The reason for the abduction and the identity of his kidnappers are unknown.