Korean boats seized off Somalia

Somalia's coastline is notorious for piracy

Unidentified gunmen have seized two South Korean fishing boats off the coast of Somalia.

About 30 people - including four South Koreans - were on board, says the Somali foreign ministry. They have all been taken hostage.

Since the start of this year, there has been a sharp increase in piracy attacks off the Somali coast.

Piracy had been brought under control until Ethiopian and Somali troops ousted the Union of Islamic Courts.

Somalia has been without an effective national government for some 16 years and lies near a main shipping route connecting the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean.

The ships were registered in Tanzania and said to be on their way to Yemen from Mombasa in Kenya.

Andrew Mwangura, of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme in Nairobi, said a third boat had escaped. He told Reuters news agency that about 12 gunmen had attacked the vessels.

"Currently they are under captivity, but we don't know their exact position. Crew members on board are about 30 and are composed of Koreans, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indians."