Swiss tourist gang-raped in Madhya Pradesh, India

Police in India say a Swiss woman was gang-raped on holiday in central Madhya Pradesh state.

The unnamed woman, who is reported to be 39 years old, was on a cycling and camping trip with her husband when a group of eight to ten men attacked them on Friday night, the BBC reported.

Over 20 people have been detained in connection with the attack, according to the BBC.

The gang approached the couple's tent, "tied up the man and raped the woman in his presence," a local police official told Agence France-Presse.

The men were reportedly armed with lathis, or wooden batons, according to NDTV. The woman's husband told police that four of them raped his wife while the others held her down, and beat him.

The attackers then stole valuables including cell phones, a camera, a laptop and 10,000 rupees ($185) in cash from their victims, the Times of India reported.

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The woman was taken to hospital in nearby Gwalior city. She was conscious and speaking to authorities on Saturday, police told AFP, without giving further details of her condition.

The couple arrived in India three months ago for an extended adventure holiday, the Times said. They are understood to have been making their way toward the town of Agra and the Taj Mahal in the north when they were attacked.

In January, the manager of a hotel in Madhya Pradesh allegedly raped a 23-year-old South Korean tourist staying at his resort. And in December, the gang-rape and subsequent death of an Indian student in New Delhi caused national and international outcry.