Five crew members were killed after Somali security forces regained control of an oil tanker that had been held by pirates for months.
The vessel, MT Hoarner 25, was seized in April while carrying about 18,500 barrels of oil to Mogadishu.
Puntland Deputy Information Minister Bile Qabowsade said the five crew members were killed before regional security forces boarded the tanker.
Three of the victims were Pakistani nationals, while the others were from India and Myanmar.
Four more crew members were injured and are receiving treatment and they include three Pakistanis and one Indian.
Authorities have arrested 16 people suspected of being involved in the hijacking, while other suspects managed to escape and are being pursued.
The tanker was later anchored off the Somali coast between Xaafun and Bander Beyla, fishing towns in Puntland.
Qabowsade dismissed claims that Puntland security forces helped some of the pirates escape. However, officials have not explained how the five crew members died or how the pirates managed to take control of the tanker in the first place.
When the vessel was seized in April, officials said it had 17 crew members. The group comprised 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan and one Myanmar national.
Investigations into the hijacking and the deaths are ongoing.
