Somali pirates kill 5 crew members before tanker rescue, state authorities say

Somali pirates killed five crew members aboard the hijacked MT Honour 25 tanker before it was rescued by security forces, according to Somalia's autonomous state of Puntland. The slain crew members hailed from Pakistan, Myanmar, and India.

In addition to the deadly incident, Puntland reported rescuing a second vessel on Tuesday, a tanker previously hijacked in May. The deaths aboard the Palau-flagged ship mark the first time Somali pirates have claimed lives in over a decade.

The tanker, carrying 17 crew members, was seized by pirates in April during a resurgence of piracy that experts link to the aftermath of the Iran war and rising oil prices, making tankers more attractive targets. Puntland's information ministry stated that a rescue mission successfully freed the ship and captured 16 pirates, with the five killed during the operation being members of the hijacked crew.

Following the latest rescue, Puntland's Maritime Police Force (PMPF) also freed the US-sanctioned tanker Sibu 1, which had been hijacked in August. Furthermore, the PMPF rescued the oil tanker MT Eureka, hijacked in May, after its hijackers fled when authorities approached the vessel. As of late August, five out of the six ships held by pirates off the Somali coast have been freed after these rescues.