Pirates abduct 6 Russian Sailors off West Africa

Six Russian Sailors have been abducted by pirates off the coast of Benin, the Russian Embassy in the West African nation said on Saturday.

Among those taken hostage was the captain of the vessel, the embassy said, adding that all of the sailors have “vanished.’’

The abductees were Russian nationals.

There were 24 people on board the ship when the attack took place on Wednesday in the Gulf of Guinea, the embassy said.

In 2018, an oil tanker with a crew of 22 Indian nationals was hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.

The crew members were released after five days as hostages, following a reported ransom payment.