Washington, October 29: A British man being held by Somali pirates today told British television by telephone that he and his wife were taken hostage after armed men stormed their yacht in the dead of night.
“I was off watch. I was asleep and men with guns came aboard. It was on Friday last week at 2.30am (10.30pm GMT, 9.30am AEDT),” Paul Chandler told Britain’s ITV News from off the Somali coast where he is being held.
The couple were sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania across Indian Ocean waters when they were captured and forced to sail towards Somalia.
“They (the pirates) kept asking for money and took everything of value on the boat,” he said.
ITV reported that the Chandlers said they were being held by armed gunmen on board a boat 1.6km off the Somali coast.
Chandler’s brother-in-law Stephen Collett confirmed it was his voice heard during the call.
Collett was among the family members who on Wednesday met visiting Somalian Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke.
The Chandlers’ 11.6-metre yacht, the Lynn Rival, was found empty by Britain’s Royal Navy, which said it had no reason to believe the couple had been harmed.
Meanwhile a Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “Hostage taking is never justified. Paul and Rachel are blameless tourists and they should be released immediately and unconditionally.
“The families are deeply concerned for the safety of their loved ones. Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff are in close contact with them and offering support.”
—Agencies