KARACHI – A rescue operation to free crew of the hijacked oil tanker MT Honour 25 turned deadly, with Somali pirates opening fire on the hostages while fleeing the vessel, killing five sailors, including three Pakistanis and injuring four others.
Three of the injured sailors are also reportedly Pakistani nationals. The latest details were shared by surviving Pakistani crew members Hussain Yousuf and Imran Ali, who contacted the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust in Karachi through the captain’s mobile phone and described the events surrounding the attack.
Somali authorities and security forces from semi-autonomous Puntland region launched joint operation on Tuesday to recover the hostages from the pirates.
An exchange of fire reportedly took place during the operation. As the pirates came under pressure and began retreating, they allegedly opened indiscriminate fire on the captive crew before escaping from the vessel.
Ansar Burney Welfare Trust Director Advocate Qurat-ul-Ain said the shooting took place at sea, a considerable distance from the Somali coastline. The pirates also reportedly damaged the steering system of the Honour 25 while fleeing, leaving the tanker unable to move on its own.
A Somali naval vessel has since begun towing the damaged tanker toward the coast. The journey is expected to take at least two days. According to Qurat-ul-Ain, the same naval vessel was involved in the operation against the pirates. Pakistani government and the Ministry of Human Rights have been informed about the incident.
Pakistani sailors killed in the attack are Second Officer Kashif Umar, Third Engineer Mahmood Ansari and Boiler Rafiullah. An Indian crew member identified as Tanveer and the chief engineer from Myanmar were also among those killed.
11 Pakistani crew held hostages as pirates seize oil tanker near Somalia
The injured sailors were identified as Usman, Aqeel, Ameen and Vicky, with three reportedly Pakistani nationals. Pakistani crew members Yasir Khan, Hussain Yousuf, Imran Ali and Yaseen remained safe.
Pakistani sailors involved in the incident belonged to different areas of Karachi. Their families had spent months desperately seeking their release, holding peaceful protests and repeatedly approaching government authorities for help.
Somali-flagged oil tanker Honour 25 was sailing from Oman toward Somalia when it was hijacked by pirates on April 21. There were 17 crew members aboard the vessel, including 10 Pakistani nationals. Since the hijacking, the families of the Pakistani sailors had repeatedly appealed to authorities to secure their safe release.
The pirates initially demanded a $3 million ransom for the crew. The demand was later reduced to $1.9 million and subsequently brought down to $1 million.
The latest bloodshed has added a grim turn to a hostage crisis that had continued for months, with the families of the Pakistani sailors anxiously awaiting their loved ones’ return.
