Four French journalists taken hostage in Syria have been freed after a 10-month ordeal in the world's most dangerous country for media.
French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday Edouard Elias, Didier Francois, Nicolas Henin and Pierre Torres were "in good health despite the very challenging conditions of their captivity".
Turkish soldiers found the four men abandoned in no-man's land on the border with Syria overnight Friday-Saturday, wearing blindfolds and with their hands bound, the Turkish news agency Dogan reported.
The soldiers initially took them for smugglers but took them to a police station in the small Turkish town of Akcakle near the border when they realised they were speaking French.
Footage of the four journalists broadcast on Turkish television showed them looking unkempt, with beards and long hair, but they appeared to be in good health.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"I'm very happy to be free. We just came from Syria," Francois was shown saying. "We thank the Turkish authorities because they really helped us. It's very nice to see the sky, to be able to walk and to speak freely."
Francois, a reporter for Europe 1 radio, and photographer Elias were taken north of Aleppo on June 6. Henin, reporter for Point magazine, and freelance photographer Torres were seized two weeks later in the north of the country, at Raqqa.
The four men are expected to arrive in France later Saturday or early Sunday.
Henin's father Pierre-Yves Henin told AFP by telephone the men were "about to get on a plane to come back", and that their morale was "particularly good".
He told BFM-TV the family had been aware of recent "contacts", and had hoped they would "prove fruitful", but that the news that his son was free was nonetheless a surprise.
The head of Europe 1 Denis Olivennes said he was overjoyed at the news.
"I want to thank the authorities that have permitted their liberation, all those who mobilised, the families... the list is too long," he said.
The four men's liberation comes weeks after two Spanish journalists taken hostage in Syria by an al-Qaeda-linked group also walked free.
