Pakistan, Sept. 30 -- Pakistan's Foreign Office confirmed the deaths of three Pakistani nationals during an operation to recover MT Honour 25. Somali maritime forces recovered the hijacked oil tanker off Somalia, according to officials.

The semi-autonomous Puntland maritime police force announced the recovery on Tuesday. Somali pirates had hijacked the Palau-flagged tanker in April. The vessel carried 19 crew members, including 10 Pakistani nationals.

The Foreign Office expressed deep sorrow over the loss of five crew members during the recovery operation. It identified the three Pakistani nationals as Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmed Ansari.

The operation also left four crew members injured, including three Pakistani...