Chinese Sailors Held Captive for 4 Years by Somali Pirates Released

In March of 2012, an Omani-flagged fishing vessel crewed by 29 sailors from China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia was boarded by Somali pirates. What followed for the fishermen was four and a half years in captivity and the deaths of three of their comrades. 

Of the dead sailors, one was from the Chinese mainland and another was from Taiwan.

Fortunately, this nightmarish situation concluded on October 22, when the surviving 26 sailors were liberated, according to media reports. Among the survivors were nine citizens from the Chinese mainland and one person from Taiwan, all of whom - with the exception of one Chinese national - arrived in Guangzhou on Tuesday.

The last of the rescued men arrived in Guangzhou today after receiving care at a Nairobi Hospital, according to the Guangdong provincial foreign affairs office.

[Images via uschinapress.com]