Three Indian sailors among 24 seized near Somalia

New Delhi, May 19: In yet another case of abduction, three Indians were among 24 sailors kidnapped from two South Korean fishing vessels off Somalia coast, sources said here today.

Officials in New Delhi, when contacted, said they had seen the reports but were not in a position to give details.

The sources said 24 sailors on board two fishing vessels, owned by South Korea's Daechang Fishing Co, were abducted 210 nautical miles off Somalia coast on Wednesday.

The other abductees included 10 Chinese, four Koreans, four Indonesians and three Vietnamese.

Yonhap news agency today quoted the Captain of the two vessels as saying that the abductees were safe.

The agency, quoting the South Korean Foreign Ministry, said the capitan had made a telephone call to the ship-owner at 1800 hrs (local time) yesterday and said they were not being harassed.

Meanwhile reports, quoting the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre, said the pirates had sailed the ships to a village on Somalia coast and all the crew members were safe.

South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-Soon had requested his Somali and Kenyan counterparts for help in securing the release of the abducted crew.

Reports said the ships had left Mombassa in Kenya on May 11 for Yemen.

UNI