TRIBUTES have been paid to a North man killed as he attempted to rescue colleagues from a gun battle while working in one of the most dangerous areas of Africa.

Carl Nefdt, 31, a geologist, was killed during an exchange between Uganda soldiers and Congolese rebels on Lake Albert.

The married father-of-three from Staithes, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, was shot last Friday.

He leaves a wife Angela and children Bethany, Archie and Eve.

Mr Nefdt, who worked for IMC Geophysics International Ltd (IMC), had been exploring for oil on a barge owned by Canadian company Heritage Oil when he was caught in the middle of a confrontation.

His family did not wish to comment yesterday, but one villager, who did not want to be named, said: "He was a lovely lad and very caring. It's a sad waste that he should have died at such a young age."

Mr Nefdt had been the team leader of a group working in Uganda near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

He was working with IMC colleagues carrying out seismic testing on Lake Albert.

The Staithes lifeboat man had worked for IMC since 1996 and had carried out similar surveys across the globe.

It has been reported that a boat load of armed men approached the barge around 5pm on Thursday demanding petrol.

When the oil workers said they did not have any the men accused them of operating in Congolese territory.

Then in the early hours of Friday, three boats took the team by surprise.

Hearing a mayday call Mr Nefdt, who was some distance away from the scene, rushed to help rescue his team, but in the ensuing firefight he was shot in the shoulder. The bullet travelled through his chest, unfortunately killing him.

Mr Nefdts death has hit his colleagues and friends in Africa hard.

Robert Tugume, of the Ugandan Petroleum and Production Exploration Department, added: "The news of the demise of Carl Nefdt in the security incident on Lake Albert left me shattered.

"He was friendly, hardworking, selfless and was always ready to render help. He will be greatly missed by us, his friends and the seismic fraternity at large."

A spokesman for Heritage Oil, meanwhile, said: "We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss of life and our sincere thoughts and wishes are with the family of the deceased and other personnel involved.

"A full investigation is underway and all appropriate authorities have been informed and are involved. We are co-operating fully with the investigation."

Heritage Oil is to continue its operations in the area after reviewing security measures.

A Foreign Office spokesman said the family was receiving consular support.