British Couple Phone BBC Confirm Pirate Capture

The British couple that recently went missing have been confirmed as being kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Somalia. Paul Chandler was able to use a phone in the captain’s chamber aboard a container ship that the couple were being held hostage on. Chandler called the BBC’s Somalia Service from the ship and explained that they were being treated okay and being given food.

Paul and Rachel Chandler, 59 and 55 respectively, were taken abruptly from their yacht by gunmen while sailing in the Seychelles. Paul Chandler told officials in his call that the pirates had, as of yet, not made any ransom demands. He also added they they were being detained on a container ship registered in Singapore.

The call was made at 1100 GMT from the captain’s cabin aboard the ship, Mr. Chandler said that all of their valuables were taken off the ship and that the men had continually been asking for money. He also added that the ship was somewhere about a mile off of shore.

The armed men had forced Mr. Chandler and his wife onto their ship and captured the couples yacht, the Lynn Rival. Since then, the couples yacht has been recovered during multi-national counter piracy operations.

Mr. Chandler did assure officials that at the moment him and his wife were okay and that food was being provided regularly for now. During the phone call the BBC asked Mr. Chandler if they were in Somalia, and he answered that he was not allowed to say.

The BBC also asked if negotiations of any kind had occurred regarding the couples release, and he indicated he did not have any knowledge if they had or not.

A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office made a statement to the pirates saying that taking a hostage was not justified and that the Chandlers are innocent victims that should not be subject to such abuse.