Eighteen hostages have been freed but another two have died after the Danish warship Absalon targeted a pirate ship off the Somali coast.
The events leading up to the deaths will now be investigated by the Danish Judge Advocate, with the Admiral Fleet Denmark admitting that they may have caused the fatal injuries.
According to the report, the warship, which had been shadowing the pirate vessel for some time, made its move on Sunday 26th February, when the suspects tried to escape into open water. After orders to stop and warning shots were ignored, the pirates finally surrendered when Absalon began to fire at material on the deck.
Once onboard, the Absalon crew found 18 hostages, two of whom were severely wounded, and 17 suspected pirates. Despite receiving medical attention, the wounded hostages later died.
“We cannot deny that it may have been us that caused the deaths,” said naval Captain Steen Engelbrecht Pedersen of Admiral Fleet Denmark. “That is why we have called in the Judge Advocate to determine what happened,” he added.
Have you seen the beginning of ”Expendable”……..well you’ve got my thoughts!