Four injured sailors, remains of three others Somali pirate victims head to Karachi

• Crew members travel aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight.
• MT Honour 25 seized by pirates on April 21.
• Puntland forces free tanker, capture 16 pirates.

ISLAMABAD: Four injured Pakistani crew members of MT Honour 25 and the mortal remains of three sailors have left Addis Ababa for Karachi, the Foreign Office said on Sunday.

The injured crew members — Usman Ghani, Aqeel Khan, Ameen bin Shams and Yasir Khan — along with the mortal remains of Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmad Ansari, departed aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 694.

Pakistan’s ambassadors to Djibouti and Ethiopia saw them off in Addis Ababa, while the flight is expected to arrive in Karachi today, the FO said.

The development comes after Somali authorities carried out an operation to free the hijacked MT Honour 25.

Puntland authorities said their forces freed the tanker and captured 16 pirates during the operation. Five crew members were killed, including three Pakistanis, while four others were injured.

The Palau-flagged tanker had been seized by pirates on April 21 around 30 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia’s Puntland region. There were 17 crew members aboard the vessel, including 10 Pakistani nationals.

The injured Pakistani crew members were receiving medical treatment after being brought safely ashore, while Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Djibouti was coordinating with Somali authorities and other stakeholders to assist the nationals and facilitate their repatriation.

On October 2, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar said that three Pakistani crew members — Imran Ali, Yasin Muhammad and Syed Yousuf Hussain — remained aboard MT Honour 25 along with the captain, with efforts underway to facilitate their safe return to Pakistan.

The development follows the Prime Minister’s Office statement a day ago that the mortal remains of the three deceased Pakistanis had reached Addis Ababa, where Ethiopian Airlines staff were completing necessary preparations for their onward transportation to Karachi.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed the relevant authorities to complete the repatriation process at the earliest and assured the bereaved families of all possible assistance.

The prime minister also spoke by telephone with Azhan Kashif, son of the deceased Syed Kashif Umar, and expressed his condolences over his father’s death.

PM Shehbaz had announced Rs12.5 million in financial assistance for each family of the three Pakistani sailors killed during the recovery operation.

He also announced free education and healthcare for their children, as well as a house for each bereaved family.

The prime minister further directed the authorities to ensure the provision of the best possible medical facilities to the injured Pakistani crew members and to continue all possible efforts for the safe return of the remaining Pakistani sailors.