NATO warship rescues 14 Indian sailors

Fourteen Indian sailors,taken hostage by heavily armed Somali pirates,have been rescued by a NATO warship....

Fourteen Indian sailors,taken hostage by heavily armed Somali pirates,have been rescued by a NATO warship off the coast of Somalia after their dhow was released.

Vishvakalyan captain Ismail Abdurehman said the pirates attacked and boarded the dhow which was carrying a shipment of charcoal from Brava,south of Mogadishu,to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on June 3.

The crew were kept prisoners for 10 days somewhere near Hobyo,north of Mogadishu on the Somalia coast.

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The pirates stripped the crew of their clothes,took away their mobile phones,radios and presents they were taking back to India for their families.

They stole our shampoo,trousers and shirts, a sailor said.

Captain Abdurehman said the pirates stole all the dhows food. Only three chickens and a cat were left on board. They hit the crew all over,on the head,everywhere, Alison Bevege,an Australian journalist on board a warship looking out for pirates in the waters off Somalia,quoted Abdurehman as saying.

On Friday night,the pirates fired in the air and shouted at the sailors to go. NATOs Portuguese warship NRP Corte-Real picked up the dhow on radar early on Saturday morning as it patrolled Somali waters about 20 nautical miles south-east of Hobyo. A team of marines sent to investigate found the 14 sailors,sick and distressed after being held prisoner for 10 days.

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The seamen from Gujarat had been unable to call for help as the pirates had broken their VHF radio antenna.

The sailors were all barefoot as their shoes had been stolen. They had not eaten for three days.

Corte-Real doctor Sonia Pereira,who gave medical

aid to the Vishvakalyan crew,said the men were suffering from bruises,dehydration,diarrhoea and respiratory illnesses. One had a dental abscess.