YAOUNDE, Jan 26: A Greek sailor was shot dead by pirates off the coast of Cameroon at the weekend, the state radio broadcaster said on Monday, the latest in a series of attacks on shipping in African waters.

Around 30 armed pirates travelling in three boats seized one Greek vessel on Saturday in the Atlantic off Kribi, south of the main port city Douala, and were taking it towards international waters when a sister ship gave chase. “The pirates then opened fire on the second vessel, climbed into the cabin and shot the captain ... three times in the neck,” the radio report said.

The Greek merchant marine ministry identified the victim as Theodoros Mastaloudis.

The pirates robbed the crew of the second ship before abandoning both vessels and escaping in their own boats, state radio said. The Cameroonian navy rescued the 40 surviving crew of the two Greek ships later on Saturday.—Reuters