Four foreigners kidnapped by pirates in Nigeria

Two Nigerian Navy officers were killed and four foreigners -- a Malaysian, an Iranian, a Thai and an Indonesian -- were taken hostage by suspected pirates.

Lagos: Two Nigerian Navy officers were killed and four foreigners -- a Malaysian, an Iranian, a Thai and an Indonesian -- were Saturday taken hostage by suspected pirates, Xinhua reported.

The officers were killed in an attack by gunmen on a ship in southeast Rivers state, said navy spokesperson Commodore Kabir Aliyu.

He said the navy has sent warships and helicopters for a rescue mission.

Nigeria, Africa`s largest oil producer, has recorded a total of 293 cases of sea robbery and pirate attacks between 2003 and 2008.
IANS