5 Somali Pirates Drown With Ransom Share

Tanker released after $3M airdrop, but pirate boat flips in storm

By Newser Editors and Wire Services

Posted Jan 10, 2009 7:40 AM CST

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5 Somali Pirates Drown With Ransom Share — A parachute dropped by a small aircraft over the MV Sirius Star Friday, Jan. 9, 2009, during an apparent payment via a parachuted container to pirates holding the ship. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Air Crewman 2nd Class David B. Hudson)

Five of the Somali pirates who released a hijacked oil-laden Saudi supertanker yesterday drowned with their share of a reported $3 million ransom after their small boat capsized, the AP reports. The boat, with eight people on board, overturned in a storm; three people reached shore after swimming for several hours. Dozens of pirates left the supertanker Sirius Star after a small aircraft dropped bundles of cash by parachute to end a two-month standoff in the Gulf of Aden.

On the same day the Saudi ship was freed, pirates released a captured Iranian-chartered cargo ship, Iran's state television reported today. It said the ship Daylight was carrying 36 tons of wheat when it was attacked in the Gulf of Aden Nov. 18 and seized by pirates. All 25 crew are in good health and the vessel is sailing toward Iran, the TV report said.
(More pirates stories.)

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