New Delhi: The 39 Indians, kidnapped by the dreaded ISIS in Iraq in June 2014, are still alive, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said, dismissing reports about their killing and insisting that efforts to trace them are on.

In her annual press conference, Swaraj said the government was was trying its best to ensure safe release of Judith D'Souza, an aid worker and resident of Kolkata, who was abducted by suspected militants in Kabul on June 9.