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All sailors abducted in Gulf of Guinea are Russian nationals, says embassy

Pirates attacked the MSC MANDY ship in the area of Benin’s territorial waters on January 2

© AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh

MOSCOW, January 5./TASS/. All six sailors abducted in the Gulf of Guinea are Russian nationals, the Russian Embassy to Benin has said on its Facebook page.

It said pirates attacked the MSC MANDY ship in the area of Benin’s territorial waters on January 2. "There were 24 people on board, most of them Russian nationals," the embassy said.

"The attackers took six people hostage, including the captain, and vanished," the embassy said, adding that all abducted sailors were Russian nationals.

The Russian Embassy in Nigeria also takes action to release the Russian nationals. It specified that 23 of the 24 crew were Russians. Those who were not kidnapped are safe on board the ship that has already left the territorial waters of Benin and Nigeria, it says.

"In cooperation with the local security agencies the embassy takes all necessary measures to establish the whereabouts of the Russian sailors and have them released," the Embassy in Nigeria said on its Facebook page.

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