Gov't yet to figure out whereabouts of S. Korean captain kidnapped by pirates off Gabon: ministry

SEOUL, May 6 (Yonhap) -- The government has little information yet regarding the whereabouts of a South Korean captain missing after being kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Gabon early this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

On Sunday, the unidentified pirates attacked two fishing boats near the Gabonese capital of Libreville in West Africa and abducted six crewmen, according to the ministry. The five other abductees include three Indonesians and two Senegalese nationals.

A total of 18 crewmen had been aboard the two ships when the pirates attacked them at about 4:40 a.m. (Gabon time). The pirates forced the ships to travel further north to Corisco, an island that belongs to Equatorial Guinea, and took off on a speedboat with only the six of them. The rest of them were released.

"At the moment, we haven't been able to figure out the identity or whereabouts of the pirates or obtain information regarding whereabouts of the South Korean national," a ministry official said.

The ministry has informed the governments of Gabon and other countries, such as France and the United States, of the incident and has requested cooperation in tracking down the kidnappers. It also informed the family of the South Korean captain immediately after the incident was reported.

"The ministry will do its utmost to secure the early release of our national by working closely with related agencies and state authorities of other countries," the ministry said.

elly@yna.co.kr
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