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Theresa VIII captain reported dead as result of pirate attack

Theresa VIII captain reported dead as result of pirate attack

Brussels: A Somali pirate has told news agencies that the captain of a ship captured earlier this week has died of wounds suffered during the hijacking, writes AFP. The pirate says the captain died Tuesday night from internal bleeding. "The captain died last night from gunshot wounds he got during the hijack," the pirate said.

The MV Theresa VIII is currently reported to be on its way to Haradheere with the dead captain on board. The vessel was seized 180 miles northwest of the Seychelles on Monday in transit to the Kenyan port of Mombasa with 28 North Korean crew members on board.

This attack follows another on the US-flagged, Danish-owned container ship MV Maersk Alabama - the ship previously hijacked in April. Pirates fired automatic weapons on the vessel, which was sailing 350 nautical miles east from the Somali coast.

Private guards from an on-board vessel protection detachment came to the rescue, firing upon and thwarting the attackers in the early-morning exchange. Aircraft and naval vessels from the EU protection force under the banner of Operation Atalanta are investigating the situation.  [18/11/09]