Somali pirates free Danish family

World

Somali pirates free Danish family

Close

A Danish family held hostage by Somali pirates for more than six months has been released.

07 September,2011 09:26 pm

Jan Quist Johansen, his wife Birgit Marie and their three teenage children were captured along with two Danish crew members on Feb 24 as their 43-foot (13-meter) yacht was seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean.All seven were released Tuesday and are doing well under the circumstances. They are in a plane on their way to Denmark, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Charlotte Slente said. She declined to comment further on the circumstances of the release and wouldnt say whether a ransom had been paid.The Johansens, from Kalundborg, were on a round-the-world journey when they approached the pirate-infested waters off the Horn of Africa. Their travel blog showed they were aware of the dangers but didn’t expect to get into trouble, and were comforted by the sight of anti-piracy forces patrolling the vast area.