Yacht spotted in hunt for hijacked Britons

Wed Oct 28 2009 11:25:38

Rescue teams are investigating a possible sighting of a yacht belonging to a British couple that is thought to have been hijacked by pirates.

Paul and Rachel Chandler, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, went missing while sailing from the Seychelles towards Tanzania.

On Tuesday night, the European Union Naval Force said it had located a yacht about 200 miles to the east of the Somali port of Haradheere, around 3pm British time.

"One of the ship's helicopters involved in the investigation saw a yacht towing a pirates' skiff," a spokeman said.

He added: "As light was fading, it was impossible to identify it. It was the first yacht we've seen....We are treating the sighting very seriously. There will be at least two European Union Naval Force ships going to investigate."

But he went on to say that he did not want to give the family "false hope" and added that investigations were continuing.

A news agency said it had been contacted on Tuesday by a pirate who said the couple were "in our hands now." The man, who gave his name as Hassan, said the captives were in good health and ransom demands would follow.

The Foreign Office said it was "urgently investigating" the claims.

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