News

Relatives of the crew members of the Basque tuna boat Alakrana, hijacked by Somali pirates for 19 days in Indian ocean waters, showed their "concern" because they have had "no contact" with the vessel "for three days."

Cristina Blach, daughter of the Basque vessel''s skipper, Ricardo Blach, confirmed that the owners of the trawler told families that "no one has been in contact" with the trawler in the last 72 hours.

Blach said that the last time they had telephone contact with their relatives was "on Thursday," a day before they lost communication with the Alakrana.

Mari Angeles Jiménez, wife of Gaizka Iturbe, one of the 36 hostages of the tuna boat, has said that they have "fear" for their "loved ones'' both physical and psychological integrity."

Separately, the National Court judge Santiago Pedraz has released one of the Somali pirates arrested by the Spanish authorities a week ago after considering he is only 17 years old.