ISLAMABAD: Pakistani survivors of an oil tanker hijacked by Somali pirates have been moved to Garowe, the capital of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region, the Foreign Office said on Thursday, as the government works to bring home crew members following their release from more than five months in captivity.

The Palau-flagged MT Honour 25 was seized off Puntland on April 21 with 17 crew members aboard, including 10 Pakistanis. Puntland forces recovered the vessel this week after pirates killed five sailors, including three Pakistanis, and wounded four others.

Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan confirmed the deaths of the three Pakistanis before sharing information on the survivors.

“The surviving crew members were initially brought ashore at Bandar Beyla and now safely brought to the city, which is known as Garove, where the injured are being treated,” he said in the opening remarks of his weekly news briefing.

Three of the four injured crew members are Pakistani nationals, the spokesperson said.

The update marks the first confirmation that the survivors have been moved from Bandar Beyla, where they were taken after Puntland forces recovered the vessel. Pakistan said on Wednesday that the injured were receiving medical care at a nearby hospital and that officials from its embassy in Djibouti were heading to the coastal town to assist the crew.

Khan said the government remained in contact with Somali authorities and other stakeholders “to facilitate medical care for the injured, repatriation of the mortal remains, and safe return of the surviving Pakistani crew members.”

He identified the three nationals killed as Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umar and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari.

Puntland maritime police said on Tuesday the five crew members were killed by pirates before their operation to recover the tanker began. An Indian and a Myanmar national were also killed, while an Indian sailor was among the four wounded.

Puntland authorities said the vessel was secured and suspected pirates were detained, ending an ordeal that had lasted since April.

Families of the Pakistani sailors had repeatedly appealed to Islamabad for help during their captivity, while crew members had warned through a Pakistani rights group that their captors were threatening to kill hostages if security forces attempted to retake the vessel.

The government has not given a timetable for the return of the surviving Pakistani crew members or the repatriation of the bodies.