Somali pirates release 26 hostages after nearly 5 years in captivity
Somali pirates have released 26 hostages after nearly five years in captivity, according to an organization involved in mediation efforts, reports CNN.
The dozens of hostages freed were in a ship hijacked south of the Seychelles in March 2012.
Of the 29 crew members seized, one died during the hijacking and two died from illness while in captivity, according to the organization, Oceans Beyond Piracy.
The hostages were all men from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, it said. They were aboard the Omani-flagged fishing vessel Naham 3 when they were captured.
John Steed of Oceans Beyond Piracy said the crew of Naham 3 was released Saturday. He did not provide specifics on the terms or conditions of their release, or whether any ransom was paid.
They will be repatriated using a UN flight and sent to their home countries, he said in a statement.
The Naham 3 crew members are the second longest- held hostages by Somali pirates, Steed said.
The longest-held hostages are four crew members of the FV Prantalay 12 vessel who were released two months shy of five years in captivity. Somali pirates seized them at sea in April 2010 and released them in February 2015.
Somali pirates and their peers have made millions in ransom money hijacking vessels in the region.
Although piracy off the coast of Somalia has plummeted in recent years, it was an international nightmare at its height, hurting economies and sending the cost of living soaring.
- 86-year-old priest is killed by two knifemen after nuns and worshipers were taken hostages
- Police officer SHOT DEAD in Armenia, after gunmen receive ultimatum
- Turkish sailors who smuggled THREE TONNES of cocaine worth £ 500 million are jailed for 42 years
- Ship found in Arctic waters 168 years after doomed attempt to complete Northwest Passage.
- 25 inmates killed in prison clashes in northern Brazil
- Oldest panda in captivity Jia Jia dies at the age of 38 in Hong Kong theme park