2 Keralites among crew aboard hijacked ship

Thirunanthapuram, Apr 13: Two Keralites have been reported to be among the 11 Indians held captive aboard a cargo vessel hijacked by Somalian pirates off African coast.

The two marine engineers have been identified as Roji B John of Pathanamthitta and V Vishnu, from Thiruvananthapuram.

The duo are among the 11 Indians onboard the M V Rak Africana, which was hijacked near Seychelles enroute to Zanzibar on Apr 11.

Among the 26 crew members in the ship, 10 are Tanzanians, 5 Pakistanis and 11 Indians.

Vishnu's mother Geetha Vijayakumar said that the family was informed about the hijack by the shipping company.

John's family at Kodunthara too were informed about the incident.

The two families said that they have sought the Centre's intervention in securing their release.

Geetha said that family had taken up the matter to the offices of Non Resident Indians Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor.

OneIndia News