Three Chinese engineers have been kidnapped by banned Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK) militants in Turkey's southeastern province of Sirnak, media reported on Monday.

According to preliminary information, the Chinese engineers had been working at the thermal power plant belonging to a private company in Sirnak's Silopi district Saturday, Xinhua reported citing Turkey's Dogan news agency.

The PKK militants before attacking the plant with long barreled weapons, kidnapped the Chinese engineers who were shopping from a nearby small shop.

Turkish security forces have launched a wide scale operation to rescue the engineers.