Russian yacht crew released in Eritrea, northeast Africa
Eritrean authorities have released the two-man crew of a Russian yacht detained while traveling along the Red Sea on a voyage to the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Fast East, the Russian Embassy in Asmara said Tuesday according to RIA Novosti.
The Svenja, owned by Kamchatka's Yacht Racing Federation, was seized while docking on the Eritrean coast after running out of fuel in stormy weather, according to a radio message received by a nearby Russian ship, which then informed Kamchatka authorities of the incident by e-mail.
"The yacht has been released, and we will report further details later," said Igor Mozgo, Russia's charge d'affaires in the northeast African country.
After the initial reports, it was uncertain whether Eritrean authorities or an armed group had detained the crew. The two men, one of whom is the yacht federation's chief Yevgeny Panchenko, had their identification documents and navigation charts seized by armed people.