Somali pirates have hijacked a chemical tanker with dozens of Indian crew members and two British security guards on board, two diplomatic sources said.
The ship, flying under a Liberian flag, was hijacked Friday, according to the diplomats, who asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
There were 25 Indians, two Bangladeshis and two British security guards on board, the sources said.
Pirates have become increasingly brazen off the coast of Somalia, an impoverished eastern African nation that has been caught up in an Islamic insurgency and had no functioning government since 1991.
This year there have been 96 pirate attacks and 39 ships hijacked in Somali waters, including this month's seizure of a Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million worth of crude oil.
Pirates demanding multimillion-dollar ransoms are currently holding 15 ships and nearly 300 crew members.
Warships from Denmark, India, Malaysia, Russia, the U.S. and other NATO countries patrol the vast international maritime corridor off Somalia, escorting some merchant ships and responding to distress calls.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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