Dhaka, March 13 -- The families of the crew members aboard the Bangladeshi vessel MV Abdullah, which has been hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, are anxious about their safety as the pirates have reportedly threatened to kill them if a ransom is not paid.

They gathered at the offices of SR Shipping, the ship's owner, in Chattogram's Agrabad on Wednesday.

Somali pirates seized control of the ship carrying coal from Mozambique to the UAE on Tuesday afternoon Bangladesh time, holding 23 sailors hostage.

Jannatul Ferdous, a sailor's wife on the vessel, said, "My husband, rank GS Nuruddin, called yesterday at 1:30pm saying that pirates were attacking them. We informed the office immediately. We spoke with him once during Asr. T...