Four Indonesians freed by Somali pirates: minister

JAKARTA - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said on Monday that four Indonesians were among the Asian seafarers recently released by Somali pirates after almost five years in captivity.

"Those four fellow citizens were generally in good health condition," the minister said.

She said that she had contacted one of the released nationals by phone on Sunday evening.

An Omani-flagged fishing vessel, Naham 3, with 29 crews onboard, was hijacked south of the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean on March 26, 2012. The four Indonesian sailors were among those taken hostage by the pirates

One of the crews died in a scuffle with the pirates when the hijacking took place. Two crews, including an Indonesian, suffered illness during the captivity, reports said.

The minister said that all of the released 26 sailors, including four Indonesian nationals, have been transferred to Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday.

They need a few days there to recover their conditions before being returned to their respective origins, the minister added.

"We have informed their relatives about their release," she said.