Five crew died in Somalia ship rescue operation, including three Pakistanis

In an operation by the security forces of the autonomous region of Puntland against pirates on the seized vessel Honor 25 in Somalia, four were injured and five crew men, including three Pakistanis, died.

The incident occurred in a conversation between the ship’s Second Engineer Hussain Yousaf and a charity organization’s chairperson. Pakistani crew members slain in the operation have been named as Second Officer Kashif Umar, Third Engineer Mahmood Ansari and Oiler Rafiullah Khan.

The other two crew members deceased were identified as Indian crew member Tanveer and chief engineer from Myanmar. The vessel’s crew comprises Indian, Myanmar, Indonesian and 10 Pakistani nationals.

Hussain Yousaf said Fourth Engineer Usman, Aqeel, Ameen and an Indonesian crew member were hurt during the security operation. The injured crew members were in serious condition and urgently needed medical treatment, he said.

The ship’s steering system was also damaged in the operation, Yousaf said. This meant the ship was being pulled toward Bosaso after being tied to another ship. The vessel would take about three days to reach the harbor.

He called for urgent assistance to be dispatched to the injured crew members and said their condition was critical and helicopters should be ordered to offer prompt medical treatment for them.

Somali pirates seized the Honor 25 on 21 April 2026. Somali security forces thereafter initiated an operation to recover the vessel.