Australian drug smugglers being taken to Indonesian island for execution

[SYDNEY] Two convicted Australian drug smugglers were removed on Wednesday from a prison in Bali to be taken to an Indonesian island where they are due to be shot by firing squad, Australian media reported.

The planned executions of Myuran Sukumaran, 33, and Andrew Chan, 31, have ratcheted up diplomatic tensions amid repeated pleas of mercy from Australia for the pair.

Several media outlets reported that the pair were in one of two armored vehicles that left Kerobokan jail early on Wednesday and were taken to Denpasar airport for the trip to the island of Nusakambangan, where executions are carried out.

REUTERS