Sunday, November 14, 2010
They will spend the night at the British High Commission in the Kenyan capital Nairobi before flying back to the UK tomorrow to be reunited with relatives, it is understood.
The Chandlers' release occurred early this morning, when they were handed over to the mayor of Adado - a central Somali town near the Ethiopian border.
After being checked by a doctor the pair were taken to the Somali capital Mogadishu to meet the president of the transition government.
Following a brief news conference, in which Mrs Chandler said she was "happy to be alive" and to be among "decent, everyday people", they flew on to Nairobi.
"We saw them in Adado, we saw them in Mogadishu - a city effectively torn apart by fighting militias - and now finally we see the sight their family has been waiting for," said Sky's Africa correspondent Emma Hurd.
"They know they are out of Somalia, a country where few places are truly secure, and are now in the hands of British officials in the Kenyan capital.
She added: "They are going to stay overnight in Nairobi - their first sleep in a decent bed in 388 nights - before going home tomorrow as we understand it, to be reunited with friends and family."
Hurd said a ransom believed to be close to £500,000 was paid to the pirates following donations by private individuals, including family and friends, locals and exiled Somalis.
She commented that the meeting with the Somali president appeared to an attempt on his behalf to secure some credit for their safe release, amid reports the transition government had offered up some cash.
The British government has always maintained it has a strict policy of not paying any ransoms. The pirates had initially asked for over £4m.
"For most Somalis, just the sight of a white couple on a yacht means in their eyes that they must be hugely rich - and so they had high expectations of what they could get," added Hurd.
The Foreign Secretary said the pair had been through a "terrible ordeal" but maintained that it was right for successive British governments not to make concessions to hostage takers.
Meanwhile the Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed the "tremendous news" and said he was "grateful to all those who have worked so hard to bring the Chandlers out."
The couple travelled through Mogadishu in an armed convoy
to meet the Prime Minister of Somalia
The Chandlers' family refused to comment on how the couple's freedom was negotiated saying only that common sense had "finally prevailed".
They added: "Both Paul and Rachel are in good spirits although very tired and exhausted by their experience."
Mrs Chandler, 57, reportedly told locals earlier: "We were held in very difficult conditions. It's been a hard year."
The Chandlers flew first to Mogadishu before heading on to Nairobi
The first footage of the Chandlers after their release showed the couple arriving at the heavily-guarded compound of the mayor of Adado.
Self-appointed mayor Mohamed Aden - who is attempting to rid his area of piracy - spoke to Sky News to confirm the Chandlers are in good spirits.
He said: "They are very happy and very, very excited to be alive and have their freedom back."
However he confirmed they had endured "horrific treatment" and apologised to the couple for their ordeal.
Mr Aden also spoke of the help provided by the local community, who he said had helped raise money to secure the couple's release.
The Chandlers were kidnapped in October 2009 when their yacht was hijacked off the idyllic shores of the Seychelles and they have been held the longest of any hostages in Somalia in recent memory.
In January alarming footage emerged showing the pair very thin and in low spirits after being separated and kept in solitary confinement for days at a time.
However, they have both now had medical checks and are said to be in "relatively good health", although they still appear thin.
The blog chronicling the journeys of their yacht - the Lynn Rival - remained frozen on an abrupt last entry posted in capital letters at 6:41 am on the day of their kidnapping: "PLEASE RING SARAH."
Paul and Rachel Chandler had embarked on a yachting trip of a lifetime
Source: Sky News