KARACHI: Pakistan was making arrangements to repatriate the bodies of three Pakistani sailors who were killed by pirates aboard a hijacked oil tanker in Somalia, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said on Saturday night.

The Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Honour 25 was hijacked on April 21 off Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Somalia, with 17 crew members aboard, including 10 Pakistanis. Regional security forces recovered the vessel on Sept. 29, following an operation.

Pakistani authorities this week said they were saddened by the tragic loss of the crew members, confirming that the deceased included three Pakistani nationals: Rafi Ullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari.

“The bodies of the deceased Pakistani citizens have arrived in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.

“The Ethiopian Airlines staff is reviewing the necessary preparations for the transfer of the bodies to Pakistan, after which final approval will be granted for their dispatch on the flight to Karachi.”

Four other Pakistani sailors, freed after more than five months in captivity aboard the tanker, are scheduled to return to Karachi on Sunday, a day later than previously announced, travel details obtained by Arab News showed.

Three other Pakistani survivors remain aboard the vessel with its captain, Pakistani officials said this week, adding that Islamabad was coordinating with other countries to facilitate their return.

The Palau-flagged MT Honour 25 was seized off Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region on April 21 with 17 crew members aboard, including 10 Pakistanis.

Puntland maritime forces recovered the vessel late last month after more than five months in captivity. Five crew members were killed, including Pakistanis Rafi Ullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari, while four sailors were wounded.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday announced Rs12.5 million ($44,000) and a house for each of the three deceased Pakistani sailors’ families, along with free education and health care for their children.