5 Somali pirates drown with ransom share

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=6617076

5 Somali pirates drown with share of ransom money after releasing Saudi supertanker

By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN Associated Press Writer
MOGADISHU, Somalia January 10, 2009 (AP)

Five of the pirates who hijacked a Saudi supertanker drowned with their share of a $3 million ransom, a relative said Saturday, the day after the bundle of cash was apparently dropped by parachute onto the deck of the ship.

The Sirius Star and its 25 crew sailed safely away Friday at the end of a two-month standoff in the Gulf of Aden, where pirates attacked over 100 ships last year. Hundreds more kidnapped sailors remain in the hands of pirates.

The drowned pirates' boat overturned in rough seas, and family members were still looking for four missing bodies, said Daud Nure, another pirate who knew the men involved.

Piracy is one of the few ways to make money in Somalia. Half the population is dependent on aid and a whole generation has grown up knowing nothing but war. A recent report by London's Chatham House think-tank said pirates raked in more than $30 million in ransoms last year.

[Spock_is_Skeptical]

1. man, that sucks.

[truebrit71]

2. Karma.

Too bad, thugs....

[ellenfl]

3. what's too bad is that they have to resort to piracy

or die for lack of everything. they certainly have shined some light on their plight.

ellen fl

[argonchloride]

4. Hey, the concept might just catch on here in Amerika. How much will you pay to ransom

your kid or your dog?

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. Two months work down the drain.