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| 'Kidnapped' pair's yacht is found | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| The yacht belonging to a British couple feared kidnapped by Somali pirates has been found empty. | |
| Paul and Rachel Chandler, aged 59 and 55, of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, sent a distress signal on Friday from the Indian Ocean. | |
| The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the yacht was discovered during counter-piracy operations on Wednesday night - but the couple were not on board. | The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the yacht was discovered during counter-piracy operations on Wednesday night - but the couple were not on board. |
| The MoD stressed there is no reason to suspect the pair have come to harm. | The MoD stressed there is no reason to suspect the pair have come to harm. |
| The yacht, the Lynn Rival, was found in international waters and has been secured by the Royal Navy. | The yacht, the Lynn Rival, was found in international waters and has been secured by the Royal Navy. |
| 'Peaceful solution' | 'Peaceful solution' |
| Mr and Mrs Chandler had been sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania. | Mr and Mrs Chandler had been sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania. |
| An MoD spokesman said: "During counter-piracy operations overnight, a Royal Navy ship encountered the yacht owned by Paul and Rachel Chandler. | |
| The couple were travelling from the Seychelles to Tanzania | |
| "Paul and Rachel Chandler were not on board the yacht and we do not have any reason to believe they have been harmed. | |
| "Royal Naval vessels operating with our international partners under EU, Nato and combined maritime forces will continue to play a full role in efforts to secure Paul and Rachel's release." | |
| Relatives of the Chandlers met the Somali premier Omar Sharmarke in London on Wednesday who told them he would do anything to "see a peaceful solution". | Relatives of the Chandlers met the Somali premier Omar Sharmarke in London on Wednesday who told them he would do anything to "see a peaceful solution". |
| Mrs Chandler's brother, Stephen Collett, 58, of Ixworth, Suffolk, said: "He (Mr Sharmarke) told us they (pirates) do look after hostages well as they see them as trade goods and want to keep them so they can barter. | Mrs Chandler's brother, Stephen Collett, 58, of Ixworth, Suffolk, said: "He (Mr Sharmarke) told us they (pirates) do look after hostages well as they see them as trade goods and want to keep them so they can barter. |
| "Unfortunately they have no money, it's all in the yacht." | "Unfortunately they have no money, it's all in the yacht." |
| Dr James Alvarez, who is a hostage negotiator, said it was unlikely the couple would be harmed but because they were white the kidnappers would think they were rich and expect to get money for them. | |
| The Somali government - which only has nominal authority in large parts of the country - said it was doing everything possible to locate them. |