ANKARA: At least 15 crew members were taken hostage and one was killed when pirates attacked a Turkish ship off the West African coast.
According to the International News Agency, the Turkish ship was on a routine patrol off the west coast of Nigeria when an armed group of pirates hijacked the ship and took 15 crew members hostage.
A statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that one of the crew members was killed in the attack. One of the dead members locked himself in a safe cabin but was forced to come out and was shot by pirates.
The dead man was from Azerbaijan and was the only foreigner on board. The pirates have not yet demanded a ransom.
It should be noted that in 2019, 10 Turkish officials were abducted by pirates on the coast of Nigeria and their release was possible a month later. However, it is not clear how much the Turkish government paid the pirates for their release.