Gunmen on motorcycles killed six French tourists and two Nigeriens in a wildlife park in Niger on Sunday, a senior official said.

The attackers struck in a giraffe reserve in the West African country’s Koure area, the governor of Tillaberi, Tidjani Ibrahim Katiella, told Reuters.

The two Nigeriens were working as the tourists’ guide and driver, AFP news agency reported.

The French foreign ministry said it was running checks into reports of the attack. There was no immediate comment from the government in Niger.

The French government warns people against travelling to large parts of Niger where militant groups, including the Boko Haram and affiliates of the Islamic State, operate.

The Koure Giraffe Reserve southeast of the capital Niamey is a popular attraction in Niger, a huge country that borders seven countries in an unstable region, including Libya, Mali, Chad and Nigeria.

Militants linked to the Islamic State had killed four US soldiers in an ambush in Niger in October 2017, an attack that increased scrutiny of the US counter-terrorism operations there.