French-Colombian hostage and politician Ingrid Betancourt is seriously ill with hepatitis B and malnutrition, Colombia's human rights ombudsman said today.
The health of Ms Betancourt, who has been held hostage by Colombian rebels since 2002, is "very, very delicate", Wolmar Perez said, adding the former presidential candidate was treated in first aid stations in jungle villages controlled by the rebels last month.
Mr Perez said his office is working with local authorities in the southern province of Guaviare, a guerrilla stronghold, to try to send in medical supplies to treat Ms Betancourt and other kidnap victims.
Reports received by the ombudsman's office say Ms Betancourt appears malnourished and that her skin is raw with infected insect bites.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc, is holding hundreds hostages for ransom and political leverage, including three American anti-drug contractors captured in 2003 and Ms Betancourt.
The Farc, which took up arms in the 1960s, and the government have been deadlocked over conditions for exchanging dozens of such high-profile hostages for rebels held in government jails.
Despite hard lobbying for a hostage swap by the families of kidnap victims and the French government, an agreement appears less likely after Colombia killed the Farc's number two commander in a March 1st raid carried out in Ecuador.
The Farc freed six hostages earlier this year in deals mediated by Venezuela's leftist president, Hugo Chavez.