The Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday expressed condolences over the death of three Pakistani nationals during an operation to recover the MT Honour 25 oil tanker, which had been hijacked by Somali pirates in April.

The maritime police force of semi-autonomous Puntland said on Tuesday that it had recovered the MT Honour 25 in an operation. The Palau-flagged oil tanker had 19 crew members on board, including 10 Pakistanis.

In a statement on Wednesday, FO said: “Pakistan is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of five crew members during the operation to recover the hijacked vessel, MT Honour 25, off the coast of Somalia.

“Among those who lost their lives are three Pakistani nationals: Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari.”

The FO added that four crew members were also injured, including three Pakistani nationals. “The injured have been taken to a nearby hospital and are receiving medical care,” it added.

The surviving crew members of MT Honour 25 “have been brought safely ashore at Bandar Beyla”, a town in Puntland, according to FO.

“Pakistan’s team at the Embassy in Djibouti is proceeding to Bandar Beyla to assist the Pakistani nationals.”

The FO said it remains in close contact with the Somali authorities and other concerned stakeholders through its missions and relevant authorities.

“Every possible effort is being made to ensure proper medical care for the injured, facilitate the transportation of the mortal remains of the deceased, and ensure the safe return of the surviving Pakistani crew members,” the statement read.

On Tuesday, “The naval and ground units of the Puntland Maritime Police Force conducted a planned operation in the Dharin-Bar area of Bandar Beyla district,” Puntland maritime police said in its initial statement.

In another late-night statement, it announced that the operation had concluded and the recovered vessel was “now safe and under the Puntland government’s control”, adding that 21 suspected pirates were apprehended, while operations to locate the remaining members continue.

“Before the operation begun, the pirates on board the ship killed five of the crew. Among those killed were three from Pakistan, one from Myanmar and one from India,” it said.

After the MT Honour 25’s hijacking in April, months had passed with no progress either in negotiations or the payment of the ransom, said to be around $3 million, for the recovery of the hostages.

The hostages were said to be victims of an “ownership crisis”, as it was not clearly established who owned the ship — the man previously thought to be an owner was later revealed to be more likely a middleman who hired them.

Since its hijacking, the crew had made several emotional videos and audio appeals, reporting that they had run out of clean water, food and medicine. Meanwhile, their families launched an international appeal, calling on foreign governments, the United Nations (UN) and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to take coordinated action to help secure the release of their loved ones.

For its part, the FO maintained that it remained “actively engaged” to secure the release of the sailors.

Last month, in a meeting with the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) head, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar pressed for “urgent and effective institutional intervention” for the return of the Pakistani sailors.

Somali piracy has seen a resurgence, with at least 15 attacks since April, the highest since 2013.