Pirates’ hostages ‘ate rats’ to survive

A group of sailors who were held hostage by Somali pirates for nearly five years survived in part by eating rats, one survivor has told the BBC. Filipino sailor Arnel Balbero said they were also only given small amounts of water and felt like “the walking dead” by the end of their ordeal. The 26 […]

A group of sailors who were held hostage by Somali pirates for nearly five years survived in part by eating rats, one survivor has told the BBC.
Filipino sailor Arnel Balbero said they were also only given small amounts of water and felt like “the walking dead” by the end of their ordeal.
The 26 sailors were seized on board their ship in 2012 and were eventually taken to Somalia. They were freed on Saturday, reportedly after a ransom was paid. The sailors were from China, the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Taiwan.
Mr Balbero told the BBC that the last four and a half years had left him and his compatriots “like walking dead”.