Five crew members of an oil tanker seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia were killed before local security forces retook the vessel, a senior regional official has told the BBC. Puntland Deputy Information Minister Bile Qabowsade stated that the five were killed by pirates before regional forces boarded the MT Hoarner 25.
The deceased included three Pakistani nationals, one Indian, and one national of Myanmar. Four other crew members, comprising three Pakistanis and one Indian, were injured. The tanker, carrying approximately 18,500 barrels of oil destined for Mogadishu, was seized in April by six armed men while sailing off the Somali coast.
Sixteen suspected pirates have been arrested, with others reportedly escaping and being pursued by officials. Mr Qabowsade rejected claims that forces from Puntland, a semi-autonomous region of Somalia, had assisted some pirates in their escape. Authorities have not provided further details on how the crew members were killed or how the pirates initially took control of the vessel.
The hijacked tanker was anchored near the Somali coast between the fishing towns of Xaafun and Bander Beyla. In April, officials had reported 17 crew members on board when the vessel was hijacked, including 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan, and a Myanmar national. Piracy off the Somali coast has seen an increase in attacks and hijackings in recent years, following a sharp decline after 2011 due to international naval operations.