Somali pirates killed five crew members aboard the Palau-flagged MT Honour 25 petroleum products tanker before security forces from the semi-autonomous Puntland region rescued the vessel.

Puntland authorities announced the deaths on Tuesday. The Information Ministry stated that pirates killed the crew members before the operation began. Among the dead were three Pakistanis, one Indian, and one Myanmar national. Four other crew members, three Pakistanis and one Indian, were injured.

The tanker, carrying about 18,500 barrels of oil, was hijacked on April 21 while sailing off Somalia's coast. It had 17 crew members on board at the time of the seizure. Puntland's maritime police force freed the ship and captured 16 suspected pirates during the rescue operation. Other pirates fled and are being pursued.

These deaths represent the first fatalities at the hands of Somali pirates in more than a decade. The incident comes amid a resurgence of piracy in the region, which experts have linked in part to the effects of the United States and Israel's war on Iran, including elevated oil prices that make tankers more attractive targets.

The rescue follows another operation last week in which Puntland forces freed the US-sanctioned tanker Sibu 1, hijacked in August. Puntland authorities also reported rescuing a second vessel on Tuesday that had been hijacked in May.

A previous wave of Somali piracy from 2008 to 2014 disrupted global shipping routes, cost the world economy billions of dollars, and led to hundreds of millions in ransom payments. The MT Honour 25 was anchored near the coast between the fishing towns of Xaafun and Bander Beyla when rescued.

India's embassy in Kenya expressed sadness over the death of the Indian crew member. The vessel is now under Puntland government control.