WARSHIPS and a helicopter were scrambled last night after a British yacht hijacked by pirates was spotted heading for a port in lawless Somalia.
By BRIAN FLYNN
JOHN COLES
and NEIL SYSON
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
 Paul Chandler, 58, and wife Rachel, 55. |
They were sailing around the world on their 38ft yacht the Lynn Rival.
As the pirates boasted they would be issuing a ransom demand, a chopper from the European Union Naval Force Somalia - a British-led anti-piracy operation - said it had spotted the vessel 200 miles to the east of Somali port Haradheere.
It was towing two skiffs - small, fast boats used by the armed gangs.
Navy chiefs were last night drawing up a daring mission to storm the vessel and rescue the pair.
But EU Naval Force Commander John Harper said any decision to attack depended on intelligence about the situation on board. Naval chiefs will have to consider how many pirates there are, what weapons they have and where the Chandlers are being kept.
He said: "It's in the area where we've been looking. I don't want to give the family false hope but we are treating this very seriously. We've got two ships in the area and a helicopter."
A Navy spokesman said frigates HMS Cumberland and HMS Cornwall Royal were involved. Frigates from other countries are also in the vicinity.
The Chandlers were kidnapped off the Seychelles after sending a distress signal from their 30-year-old £55,000 yacht.
The message, in capitals on the couple's sailing blog early on Friday, read simply: "PLEASE RING SARAH."
It is thought the message was an alert for Mrs Chandler's sister. The couple also triggered their emergency beacon.
A pirate chief calling himself Hassan has called a news agency in Mogadishu. He said: "The British couple are in our hands. Ransom demands will follow."
But the couple have little money after selling their £400,000 home in Tonbridge, Kent, to finance the trip.
Source: The Sun, Oct 28, 2009