Indian navy boards ship attacked by pirates off Somali coast

Indian navy commandos have boarded a ship which was hijacked by pirates off Somalia's coast, officials say.

They are combing the vessel after warning the pirates to leave, a statement said.

The 15 Indian crew members on board are said to be unharmed.

They sent a distress call to a UK marine agency, saying that "five to six unauthorised armed persons" had boarded the ship east of the Somali port town of Eyl on Thursday evening.

A patrol aircraft was sent to establish contact with them followed by the guided missile destroyer INS Chennai.

The ship, named as the MV Lila Norfolk and which bears the Liberian flag, was en route to Bahrain before the hijacking.

The crew had earlier told the United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency that they were hiding in the vessel's citadel, a secure compartment within a ship used for protection during emergencies or potential threats such as piracy.

Recent sporadic attacks on vessels off Somalia's coast have triggered concerns that piracy could be making a resurgence in the region.

Pirate attacks, often launched from Eyl, were a huge problem for international shipping from 2008-2011, prompting countries from around the world to send warships to patrol the area.