UPDATE 1-Two French tourists and park guide missing in northern Benin

Two French tourists and their guide have been missing for the last two days after going on a game drive in Pendjari National Park in northern Benin, near the border with Burkina Faso, the company that manages the park said on Friday.

"They went on a game drive and they haven't returned," said Fran Read, a spokeswoman for African Parks. "We are looking into it now, but there is no evidence of them being kidnapped." She said park authorities were conducting extensive searches.

The French Foreign Ministry was not immediately reachable for comment. The police in Benin declined to comment. Pendjari, one of the largest habitats for elephants and lions in West Africa, lies on the border with Burkina Faso, which has suffered repeated attacks by Islamist militants in recent months.

(Reporting By Aaron Ross; Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris and Allegresse Sasse in Cotonou; Editing by Kevin Liffey)