16 Indian sailors detained in Equatorial Guinea; Indian mission working for their release

New Delhi, Nov 07: Sixteen Indian sailors are reportedly in detention in Equatorial Guinea and the Indian mission in the central African country is working closely with the authorities concerned for their release.

In a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Rajya Sabha MP AA Rahim said the crew of ship 'MT Heroic Idun' included the Indians and they were in detention since mid-August. On Twitter, the parliamentarian requested Jaishankar to "urgently intervene" in the matter of "illegal detention" of the 16 Indian crew members.

The Indian embassy in that country said on Monday that it has been in regular contact with the crew members over phone.

"This Embassy and our High Commission in Abuja are closely working with authorities of Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria for the early release of crew members of MV Heroic Idun. All crew members are safe and those in the Detention Centre have been shifted to the ship," the Indian embassy in Equatorial Guinea tweeted.

"Since their detention in mid-August, this Mission has been in regular contact with the crew members over phone. We have also had several consular access/ visits to them. We are closely monitoring developments and are actively engaged for an early resolution of the issue," it added.