Two British teenagers who had gone to Zanzibar as volunteers were attacked with acid on Thursday by two assailants on a motorcycle. The girls, Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup who are both 18 were part of the Art in Tanzania charity which supports local artists to develop their talents. The girls were working as volunteer teachers for the organization.

Police so far have no clue as to why the girls were attacked but speculation is rife that the attack was by radical religious fanatics who expect foreigners to respect local traditions. The vast majority of the people in Zanzibar follow Islam, a faith that expects their women to cover their face and body and discourages them from wearing skimpy clothing. Both the girls are said to be Jewish. It is, however premature to blame any person or group at this point as investigations are still ongoing.

Zanzibar has been a relatively peaceful semi-autonomous region of Tanzania but has witnessed a spate of violent attacks recently. Two Catholic priests were shot in separate incidents, one in December of 2012 and the other in February of 2013. A Muslim cleric was attacked with acid in November of 2012.

This is perhaps the first time such an attack has taken place on a foreigner, especially on those who had come to volunteer and help the community. Zanzibar is said to be a tourist-friendly land as the local communities earn a substantial income from tourists. It remains to be seen whether this attack will have a negative impact on the tourism industry in Zanzibar.

The charity that the girls were working for has been in operation for over a decade. It was established in 2001 and gets applications to volunteer or intern from people across the world. The organization called Art in Tanzania is part of the UNICEF Children Agenda Tanzania program.

Miss Trup's father Marc tried to contact the girls, but couldn't speak to them. He said, "Kirstie was inconsolable. Both girls are very shocked and very frightened."

The aggrieved families of both the victims thanked the media for its support and have asked to be left alone until they are reunited with their daughters. The girls were supposed to be back on a flight on Saturday after concluding their three week trip to Zanzibar.