NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Somali pirates hijacked a Thai fishing vessel north of the Seychelles islands early on Thursday, the European Union naval force said.
The Thai Union 3 reported it was under attack by pirates in two skiffs 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of the Seychelles and 650 miles (1050 kilometers) off the Somali coast, according to a press release issued by the headquarters for the EU's Operation Atalanta.
A naval aircraft sent to the scene saw pirates aboard the vessel and two skiffs tied up behind it. The EU force said the ship is now heading toward Somalia.
The latest seizure means pirates are now holding a total of eight ships, four of which were seized in the past two weeks. A yacht crewed by a British couple in their 60s is also missing in the area and officials say they fear it has been hijacked.
Somalia has not had a functioning government for 18 years. The multimillion dollar ransoms the pirates collect are a strong lure for young gunmen in a country where nearly half the population is dependent on aid.
