Indian Sailor Among 5 Killed By Pirates In Hijacked Somalia Tanker

An Indian sailor was among five crew members killed by pirates aboard a hijacked fuel tanker in Somalia, authorities said, as security forces of the African nation retook control of the vessel.

The Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) said three Pakistanis, one Indian and one Myanmar national were killed early on Tuesday, before its forces launched an operation to secure the Palau-flagged tanker MT Honour 25, news portal Somalia Today reported.

Three Pakistani crew members



and one Indian national were also wounded, it said. Puntland is a semi-autonomous state of Somalia. PMPF blamed the deaths on the Somali pirates holding the vessel off the coast of Puntland but did not provide details on how or when the crew members were killed.

According to the European Union's naval force EUNAVFOR, the vessel was hijacked in April while travelling towards Somalian capital, Mogadishu. It was carrying about 17 crew members, most of them Pakistani nationals, and a cargo of oil products.