- Five crew members, including three Pakistanis and one Indian, were killed aboard the MT Honour 25.
- Puntland police blame the pirates, but have not said how the crew died.
- 16 suspected pirates were detained as Somali forces retook the tanker.
- Pirates separately freed the MT Eureka, with four Indians among its 12 unharmed crew.
THREE Pakistani sailors and one Indian were among five crew members killed aboard a hijacked fuel tanker off Somalia, before security forces retook control of the vessel.
The Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) said the crew members, who also included a Myanmar national, were killed early on Tuesday before its forces launched an operation to secure the Palau-flagged MT Honour 25, according to the news portal Somalia Today.
Three Pakistani crew members and one Indian national were also wounded, the PMPF said.
The force blamed the deaths on the Somali pirates holding the vessel off the coast of Puntland, a semi-autonomous state of Somalia, but did not say how or when the crew members were killed.
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Citing local authorities, the news outlet The Daily Somali reported that the pirates had initially offered to surrender while concealing the deaths.
Held since April
According to the European Union's naval force, EUNAVFOR, the tanker was hijacked in April while sailing towards the Somali capital, Mogadishu, with about 17 crew members and a cargo of oil products. The Daily Somali said the vessel was carrying 18,500 barrels of fuel when it was seized on April 21.
BBC Somali reported that the crew comprised 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan and one Myanmar national.
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In a social media post, the PMPF said it had carried out a maritime operation off Dharin-baar in Bandar Beyla District and rescued the tanker. The vessel is now under Puntland government control.
Sixteen suspected pirates were detained during the operation, the force said, and efforts to find the remaining members of the group are continuing.
Second tanker released
In a separate incident on Tuesday, Somali pirates released the Togo-flagged tanker MT Eureka after holding it off Puntland's Karkaar region.
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Nearly 30 armed pirates left the vessel and handed its 12 crew members – eight Egyptians and four Indians – unharmed to the local community, the report said. The pirates damaged the tanker and set parts of it on fire before fleeing.
The Eureka was hijacked on May 2 off Yemen's Port of Qana while carrying 20,400 barrels of fuel. Much of its cargo was siphoned off and sold at sea during its months in captivity. The crew are being looked after by residents in the Hul-Aanood area.
(With inputs from agencies)
