Updated

A Lebanese official says authorities are searching for five Czech nationals and their Lebanese driver who have gone missing in eastern Lebanon.

The police official says their car was found Saturday a few hundred meters (yards) away from a Lebanese army checkpoint in the town of Kefraya. A suitcase found in the car contained their passports and some money in Lebanese lira and euros.

The father of the Lebanese taxi driver reported his son missing Saturday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorized to brief journalists, said it was too early to say whether they might have been abducted. Kidnapping for ransom cases have been on the rise lately, particularly in eastern Lebanon, which is close to the border with Syria.