Deaths of hostages held by Somali pirates 'increasing'

Source: BBC

While figures for hostages killed in previous years are patchy, the report says the 2011 figure does reflect a significant increase, and accounts for 3% of the total number of hostages taken.

BBC Africa analyst Mary Harper says it used to be rare for hostages to die in captivity since their value while alive has enabled pirates in the past to successfully obtain large ransom payments.

At least 1,206 hostages were held by Somali pirates in 2011, including 555 seafarers attacked and taken hostage during the year, and 645 captured in 2010 who remained in pirate hands

----

Some have been kept for more than two years, such as the crew of the Panama-flagged MV Iceberg who have been held hostage since March 2010. The report says the ship's owner has gone out of business so there is nobody to negotiate the crew's release.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18548810

---

The report details that 3,863 ships were fired on by pirates, 1,206 hostages are currently being held captive, at least 35 died (most while trying to escape during rescues), and the average length of captivity increased by 50%