Four Americans killed on pirated ship

15 other pirates were also captured in the raid, a Press TV correspondent reported.

On Friday, Somali pirates hijacked the S/V Quest with four Americans on board in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Oman, said piracy watchdog ECOTERRA International and the US Navy.

The US government announced on Saturday that it was assessing possible responses to the hijacking of the private yacht owned by American couple Jean and Scott Adam.

After boarding the yacht, "the forces discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors. Despite immediate steps to provide life-saving care, all four hostages ultimately died of their wounds," the US Central Command said in a statement.

"We express our deepest condolences for the innocent lives callously lost aboard the Quest," said General James N. Mattis, the head of US Central Command.

The hijacking came two days after a Somali pirate was sentenced to 33 years in prison by a New York court for the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama.

Around 1,200 sailors were taken hostage by pirates in 2010, mostly in the Indian Ocean -- a figure described by the International Maritime Bureau as alarming.

Source: Keydmedia Partner - Press TV