The Foreign Office on Wednesday said Pakistan was taking all possible measures to facilitate the repatriation of the bodies of three Pakistani nationals killed during a Puntland operation to rescue the hijacked tanker MT Honour 25 off Somalia.
FO spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan identified the deceased as Rafi Ullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari, and offered condolences to their families.
Four other Pakistani crew members were injured and were being treated at a nearby hospital, while the surviving crew had been safely brought ashore at Bandar Beyla. A team from Pakistan’s embassy in Djibouti was also travelling to Bandar Beyla to assist the nationals.
The Foreign Office said Pakistan remained in contact with Somali authorities and other relevant stakeholders to facilitate the affected crew.
Puntland authorities said their forces had freed the Palau-flagged tanker and arrested 16 pirates. They said five crew members—three Pakistanis, one Myanmar national and one Indian—were killed before the rescue operation began.
