Somalia,(insidesomalia.org)-Spain has sent one of its ships to waters off Somalia, where pirates seized a Spanish tuna fishing boat with 26 people on board on Sunday, the foreign ministry said, adding that the crew seemed to be unhurt.

Early on Monday, national radio quoted a man it said was the captain of the boat as saying everybody on board was well. A man who said he was one of the captors said in broken English that the pirates were Somalis and wanted money.

Kidnapping and piracy are lucrative businesses in lawless Somalia and most Somalis treat their captives well in anticipation of a good ransom.

The Spanish foreign ministry said 13 of the people on board the tuna fishing boat, called Playa de Bakio, were Spanish, and added it was in touch with governments with military presence in the area to help find the vessel.

Media reported on Sunday that the boat was attacked with grenade launchers about 250 miles from the coast and boarded by armed men. They said the boat was heading towards the Somali coast.

Six Somali pirates who seized a French luxury yacht and held its crew hostage for a week were arrested by French troops in the Somali desert last week after they handed over their 30 hostages and fled with their ransom. They were flown to France for questioning.

Source: Reuters

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