Six Sri Lankan fishermen abducted by suspected Somali pirates rescued: Navy

Colombo: All six Sri Lankan fishermen who were abducted by suspected Somali pirates last week have been rescued, a media report on Monday quoted the navy spokesperson as saying.

Online portal newsfirst.lk reported that the rescued fishermen, who were aboard the vessel named 'Lorenzo Putha 4', are being escorted to the capital of Seychelles.

The security forces of Seychelles carried out a rescue operation following the intervention made by the Sri Lanka Navy, it said, adding that three members of the armed group had surrendered to the Seychelles Security Forces.

The multi-day fishing trawler Lorenzo Putha-4 set sail from Dikowita fishing harbour in Sri Lanka on January 12, marking its maiden voyage.

The crew comprised six fishermen from Marawila, Chilaw, and three of them are from the same family, the report said.

Sri Lanka Navy spokesman Gayan Wickremasuriya on Sunday said the UN’s central maritime command was alerted by Sri Lanka on Saturday on the six fishermen and their trawler being captured by the Somali pirates 840 nautical miles southeast of Mogadishu.

He said India has pledged to assist Sri Lanka in the rescue of the fishermen.

However, the online portal report made no mention of any Indian assistance in the rescue operation.

The abduction came days after Colombo announced it would join a US-led operation to protect merchant vessels sailing in the Red Sea against attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels.