An Irish conservation worker is among three hostages that were killed in Burkina Faso according to international reports.
Spanish citizens and an Irish national, abducted in Burkina Faso have died, two senior Burkina Faso security sources said on Tuesday.
The hostages were taken after an ambush on an anti-poaching patrol in eastern Burkina Faso on Monday.
They had previously been reported missing however latest reports suggest they have tragically died after being abducted.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was "aware of the reports and is liaising closely with international partners regarding the situation on the ground".
Spain's foreign ministry previously confirmed it is looking for two Spanish nationals "whose whereabouts are unknown in Burkina Faso".
Burkina Faso is a poor, landlocked country in the heart of the Sahel and has been battling an Islamist insurgency for years.
The nation has endured regular attacks, sometimes intertwined with community conflicts, since jihadists from neighbouring Mali launched raids in 2015.
The worsening violence has led to one of the world's fastest-growing displacement crises, the United Nations warned in April.
The Sahel now hosts nearly three million refugees and people displaced inside their own country.
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