WEB DESK: Three Pakistani crew members were among five people killed when Puntland Security Force attacked the hijacked vessel Honour 25 in Somalia, according to crew members. Four others were injured.
The Pakistanis killed were identified as Second Officer Kashif Umar, Third Engineer Mahmood Ansari and Oiler Rafiullah Khan. The other victims were an Indian crew member, Tanveer, and the ship’s Myanmar chief engineer.
The vessel has 10 Pakistanis aboard, alongside Indian, Myanmar and Indonesian crew members. In a conversation shared with media, the Indonesian captain confirmed the deaths. Second Engineer Hussain Yousuf said the injured included Fourth Engineer Usman, Aqeel, Ameen and an Indonesian crew member.
Yousuf said the ship’s steering had been damaged and another vessel was towing it. He reported that the injured had not received medical care and that the bodies were exposed to the sun. He appealed for a helicopter to evacuate them, adding that contact with crew members’ families had been lost. The vessel was reportedly being taken to Vassaco, a journey expected to take three days.
Honour 25 was seized by armed pirates near Somalia on April 21. Earlier footage reportedly showed Pakistani crew members confined in cramped, deteriorating conditions. Families have voiced concern about the hostages, including Second Engineer Syed Hussain, whose relatives say they have had no contact with him since the hijacking.
