Three more crew members from the hijacked tanker MT Honour 25 arrived in Karachi on Wednesday via a foreign airline. The returning crew were identified as Muhammad Yasin from Peshawar, and Imran Ali and Syed Hussain Yousuf, both from Karachi. Upon arrival at Jinnah International Airport, they underwent medical examinations.
The returning crew were warmly received by Sindh Governor Nehal Hashmi, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, and their families. Mayor Wahab expressed relief at the safe return of the survivors but also conveyed sorrow over the loss of several crew members during the ordeal.
The MT Honour 25, a petroleum products tanker flying the Palau flag, was hijacked by Somali pirates on April 21 while sailing approximately 30 nautical miles off the coast of Puntland. The vessel had 17 crew members on board, including 10 Pakistani nationals. In September, Puntland authorities launched a rescue operation that successfully freed the tanker and apprehended 16 pirates.
Tragically, before the rescue mission commenced, five crew members lost their lives—three Pakistanis, one Indian, and one Myanmar national—and four others sustained injuries. Earlier this week, four injured crew members—Usman Ghani, Aqeel Khan, Ameen bin Shams, and Yasir Khan—along with the mortal remains of Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer, and Mahmood Ahmad Ansari, arrived in Karachi aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 694.
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