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Armed pirates hijack Indian vessel off coast of Somalia

Pirates have hijacked an Indian vessel with 13 crew members off the northern coast of Somalia, a maritime official said on Tuesday.

  • Agencies
  • Published: 14:37 October 21, 2008
  • Gulf News

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Pirates have hijacked an Indian vessel with 13 crew members off the northern coast of Somalia, a maritime official said on Tuesday.

The vessel was en route to Somalia from Asia when it was seized over the weekend, said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur.

The bureau only received a distress report from a third party on Monday and is still verifying the time and date of the attack, he said.

No further details were immediately available.

A total of 30 ships have been hijacked off Somalia this year, and 10 remain in the hands of pirates along with nearly 200 crew members, Choong said.

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