Five sailors were killed and four wounded when Puntland security forces retook an oil tanker seized by pirates off Somalia, a regional official told the BBC.
Bile Qabowsade, Puntland’s deputy information minister, said the deaths occurred before forces boarded the MT Hoarner 25.
Those killed were three Pakistanis, an Indian and a Myanmar national.
The injured comprised three Pakistanis and one Indian.
Sixteen suspected pirates have been detained. Other alleged attackers fled and were being pursued, officials said.
The vessel, carrying approximately 18,500 barrels of oil to Mogadishu, was captured in April by six armed men.
At the time, officials reported 17 people aboard: 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan and one Myanmar national.
The tanker was anchored off the Somali coast between the fishing towns of Xaafun and Bander Beyla.
Qabowsade denied claims that Puntland forces had helped pirates escape.
Authorities have not explained how the crew members died or how the attackers seized the ship.
Piracy in the region declined significantly after 2011 amid international naval operations, but attacks and ship seizures have risen again in recent years.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong