Twenty-six Asian sailors have been freed after being held hostage by Somali pirates for nearly five years.
Twenty-six Asian sailors have been freed after being held hostage by Somali pirates for nearly five years.
The men – from a number of East Asian countries including Cambodia, China, Taiwan and the Philipines – arrived in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Sunday ahead of flight home.
They had been seized when their Omani-flagged ship was hijacked close to the Seychelles in March 2012.
Somali pirates release 26 hostages held nearly 5 years.
VOAAfrica</a> has the story. <a href="https://t.co/49SVFpllYa">https://t.co/49SVFpllYa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Somalia?src=hash">#Somalia</a></p>— Jason Patinkin (JasonPatinkin) October 22, 2016
They are believed to be some of the last remaining captives held by Somali pirates.
The wave of attacks in the 2000s cost the world’s shipping industry billions of dollars as pirates paralysed shipping lanes, kidnapped hundreds of seafarers and seized vessels more than 1,000 miles from Somalia’s coastline.