{"id":261066,"date":"2016-10-24T06:09:17","date_gmt":"2016-10-24T06:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=261066"},"modified":"2016-10-24T06:09:17","modified_gmt":"2016-10-24T06:09:17","slug":"somali-pirates-hostages-ate-rats-to-survive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/10\/somali-pirates-hostages-ate-rats-to-survive\/","title":{"rendered":"Somali pirates’ hostages ‘ate rats’ to survive"},"content":{"rendered":"
A group of sailors who were held hostage by Somali pirates for nearly five years survived in part by eating rats, one survivor has told the BBC.<\/p>\n
Filipino sailor Arnel Balbero said they were also only given small amounts of water and felt like “the walking dead” by the end of their ordeal.<\/p>\n
The 26 sailors were seized on board their ship in 2012 and were eventually taken to Somalia.<\/p>\n
They were freed on Saturday, reportedly after a ransom was paid.<\/p>\n
The sailors were from China, the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Taiwan.<\/p>\n