Pirates taken in Indian Navy operation
Source: Agencies |
March 15, 2011, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE Indian Navy has captured 61 pirates who jumped into the Arabian Sea to flee a gunfight and fire on the hijacked ship from which they had staged several attacks, a navy statement said yesterday.
Two Indian Navy ships also rescued 13 crew members from the fishing boat on Sunday night, nearly 1,100 kilometers off Kochi in southern India.
The pirates had hijacked the Mozambique-flagged Vega 5 in December and had used it as a mother ship - a base from which they staged several attacks in the vast waters between East Africa and India.
A patrol aircraft spotted the mother ship on Friday while responding to another vessel reporting a pirate attack, the Indian Navy said. The pirates aborted the hijacking attempt and tried to escape in the mother ship.
When the Indian ships closed in on Sunday night, the pirates fired on them. The hijacked vessel was set ablaze when the Indian Navy returned fire, the navy said.
The pirates as well as the crew members jumped into the sea, but were taken out by Indian sailors.
The pirates were carrying about 80 to 90 small arms or rifles and a few heavier weapons, likely rocket-propelled grenades. The statement did not describe any casualties among the navy, the fishermen or the pirates in Sunday's clash.
The navy was checking whether the pirates were Somali or Yemeni.
Two Indian Navy ships also rescued 13 crew members from the fishing boat on Sunday night, nearly 1,100 kilometers off Kochi in southern India.
The pirates had hijacked the Mozambique-flagged Vega 5 in December and had used it as a mother ship - a base from which they staged several attacks in the vast waters between East Africa and India.
A patrol aircraft spotted the mother ship on Friday while responding to another vessel reporting a pirate attack, the Indian Navy said. The pirates aborted the hijacking attempt and tried to escape in the mother ship.
When the Indian ships closed in on Sunday night, the pirates fired on them. The hijacked vessel was set ablaze when the Indian Navy returned fire, the navy said.
The pirates as well as the crew members jumped into the sea, but were taken out by Indian sailors.
The pirates were carrying about 80 to 90 small arms or rifles and a few heavier weapons, likely rocket-propelled grenades. The statement did not describe any casualties among the navy, the fishermen or the pirates in Sunday's clash.
The navy was checking whether the pirates were Somali or Yemeni.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
