Somali pirates killed oil tanker crew before rescue, official tells BBC

Five crew members of an oil tanker seized by pirates off Somalia were killed before regional security forces retook the vessel, a senior Puntland official told the BBC. Puntland Deputy Information Minister Bile Qabowsade said the deaths occurred before forces boarded MT Hoarner on the night of the operation. The dead included three Pakistani nationals, one Indian and one person from Myanmar. Four other crew members were injured: three Pakistanis and one Indian. The tanker carried about 18,500 barrels of oil destined for Mogadishu and was hijacked in April by six armed men sailing off Somalia’s coast. Sixteen suspected pirates were arrested, while others escaped and were being pursued, officials said. The official rejected claims that Puntland forces helped some escape.