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| Somali pirates' hostages 'ate rats' to survive | Somali pirates' hostages 'ate rats' to survive |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A group of sailors who were held hostage by Somali pirates for nearly five years survived in part by eating rats, one survivor has told the BBC. | A group of sailors who were held hostage by Somali pirates for nearly five years survived in part by eating rats, one survivor has told the BBC. |
| Filipino sailor Arnel Balbero said they were also only given small amounts of water and felt like "the walking dead" by the end of their ordeal. | Filipino sailor Arnel Balbero said they were also only given small amounts of water and felt like "the walking dead" by the end of their ordeal. |
| The 26 sailors were seized on board their ship in 2012 and were eventually taken to Somalia. | The 26 sailors were seized on board their ship in 2012 and were eventually taken to Somalia. |
| They were freed on Saturday, reportedly after a ransom was paid. | They were freed on Saturday, reportedly after a ransom was paid. |
| The sailors were from China, the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Taiwan. | The sailors were from China, the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Taiwan. |
| Mr Balbero was among the crew of the FV Naham 3 when it was captured by Somali pirates south of the Seychelles. One crew member was killed during the capture, according to non-governmental organisation Oceans Beyond Piracy. | Mr Balbero was among the crew of the FV Naham 3 when it was captured by Somali pirates south of the Seychelles. One crew member was killed during the capture, according to non-governmental organisation Oceans Beyond Piracy. |
| A year later, the ship sank and the crew were brought onshore in Somalia. Two sailors subsequently died of illnesses. | A year later, the ship sank and the crew were brought onshore in Somalia. Two sailors subsequently died of illnesses. |
| Mr Balbero told the BBC that the last four and a half years had left him and his compatriots "like walking dead". | Mr Balbero told the BBC that the last four and a half years had left him and his compatriots "like walking dead". |
| Asked how the pirates treated them, he said: "They give us small amount of water only... We eat rat. Yes, we cook it in the forest." | |
| "[We] just eat anything, anything. You feel hungry, you eat." | |
| He also spoke of their difficulties adjusting to life after their ordeal, saying: "I don't know what is... outside of this world when this finish, so it's very hard to start again." | He also spoke of their difficulties adjusting to life after their ordeal, saying: "I don't know what is... outside of this world when this finish, so it's very hard to start again." |
| The group are believed to be some of the last remaining captives held by Somali pirates, after a wave of hijackings in the mid-2000s. | The group are believed to be some of the last remaining captives held by Somali pirates, after a wave of hijackings in the mid-2000s. |
| Piracy off the coast of Somalia, usually for ransom, has reduced significantly in recent years, in part because of extensive international military patrols of the most vulnerable areas. | Piracy off the coast of Somalia, usually for ransom, has reduced significantly in recent years, in part because of extensive international military patrols of the most vulnerable areas. |
| Separately a clip has emerged of the survivors, which appeared to have been taken in 2014 by the pirates amid negotiations as proof that the hostages were still alive. | Separately a clip has emerged of the survivors, which appeared to have been taken in 2014 by the pirates amid negotiations as proof that the hostages were still alive. |
| The clip, released by a Taiwanese lawmaker who took part in the negotiations, shows the group of men looking thin and haggard and surrounded by masked gunmen. | The clip, released by a Taiwanese lawmaker who took part in the negotiations, shows the group of men looking thin and haggard and surrounded by masked gunmen. |
| It then cuts to a man identified by Taiwanese media as Shen Jui-chang, the Taiwanese chief engineer of the hijacked ship. | It then cuts to a man identified by Taiwanese media as Shen Jui-chang, the Taiwanese chief engineer of the hijacked ship. |
| In the clip, Mr Shen says in Mandarin that the men were only given a litre of water a day to drink despite the heat. "There is no water, there is no food," he said, adding that "every one of us has some kind of illness". | In the clip, Mr Shen says in Mandarin that the men were only given a litre of water a day to drink despite the heat. "There is no water, there is no food," he said, adding that "every one of us has some kind of illness". |
| "The pirates won't get medicine for you, they say that they don't have money to buy medicine. That's how two young men have already died for nothing," he says. | "The pirates won't get medicine for you, they say that they don't have money to buy medicine. That's how two young men have already died for nothing," he says. |
| Taiwan's foreign affairs ministry said the men were freed after a ransom was paid by the ship's owner as well as groups contracted to negotiate with the pirates, Taiwanese media reported. | Taiwan's foreign affairs ministry said the men were freed after a ransom was paid by the ship's owner as well as groups contracted to negotiate with the pirates, Taiwanese media reported. |
| The ship was Omani-flagged but owned by a Taiwanese company. | The ship was Omani-flagged but owned by a Taiwanese company. |