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Seven dead passengers on board a tanker off the coast of England have been detained by the armed forces, British authorities confirm.
Police asked the army for help after seven dead passengers allegedly threatened the crew aboard a tanker in the English Channel.
The armed forces have taken control of the ship and seven people have been arrested, according to the British Defense Ministry. The police will continue to investigate the case. The crew is safe and sound, according to authorities.
Sky News writes that the crew aboard the Nave Andromeda tanker discovered the blind passengers and tried to lock them inside. The situation must have turned violent.
According to Reuters, the stowaways must have made verbal threats against the crew.
The law firm Lawyers Tatham and Co, which according to the BBC represents the owners of the tanker, claimed that the incident reported today was “not 100% a hijacking” and that they had known “for a while” that there were blind passengers on board.
The crew must have been hiding
A Sky News reporter reported this afternoon that “we believe that at least half a dozen blind passengers were seen at some point today.”
– There are reports that the crew is hiding in certain places on the ship, writes the television channel.
Nave Andromeda is registered in Liberia.
British Coast Guard rescue helicopters were dispatched to the tanker, according to Reuters.
– We are aware of and are handling an ongoing incident aboard a ship located south of the Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight Radio quoted a local police officer.
The ship announced “mayday” around 0900 English time.
The ship was scheduled to dock in Southampton but was denied, according to Isle of Wight Radio.
According to Marine Traffic, the tanker left Lagos in Nigeria on October 6.
A five nautical mile safety zone was established around the ship.