A DORSET teenager was held hostage during an armed robbery in Brazil.

Ben Mace, 18, of Buckland Newton, near Dorchester, was with a group of school friends when the armed gang stormed their hostel in Rio de Janeiro.

The seven-strong gang wielding guns and a hand grenade tied up the 30 hostages, including Ben and his friends, and forced them to lie face down on the ground.

They stole money, credit cards, cameras and MP3 players in the raid.

The teenagers, all former pupils at Sherborne School, arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Monday for the city’s famous carnival.

Ben said: "I was with my friend and we got ambushed with a man, and another man with a gun, which we were being pointed at with.

"We had to sit down next to a girl who had already been taken hostage and we were tied up by our hands and feet.

"We were just told to stay face down for a bit. We were there for about half an hour."

Mr Mace's mother, Isabelle, said her son had rung her to tell her about his ordeal.

"It was just shocking really, it just sounded horrible to me.

"The main thing is that he's safe."