At least five health workers were abducted on Thursday evening in northern Yagha province of Burkina Faso, a security source told Xinhua on Friday in the capital Ouagadougou.

"Unidentified gunmen on Thursday evening abducted five workers at Mansila health center, on Seba-Mansila road axis. Research was initiated to locate them", the security source told Xinhua.

A locally elected politician said aggressors first abducted seven people but released two women shortly after.

"Five people were still in the hands of the abductors", the source stressed.

Until 12 o'clock (local time) on Friday, no-one claimed responsibility for the act in the jihadist-torn West-African country.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been plagued by a deteriorated security situation with multiple attacks on army positions as well as on civilians.