**A man has told how he and his wife were kidnapped by armed pirates while the pair slept aboard their yacht in the Indian Ocean.**Paul Chandler, of Kent, speaking by phone to ITV news, said: “I was asleep and men with guns came aboard.”
Searches for Mr Chandler, 59, and his wife, Rachel, 55, began on Friday, after the pair sent a distress signal.
Their yacht was discovered during counter-piracy operations on Wednesday, but the couple were not on board.
‘No ransom demand’
Mr Chandler, from Tunbridge Wells, said the raid had come in the early hours.
He said: “I was off watch. I was asleep and men with guns came aboard. It was on Friday last week at 0230.”
The kidnapped man’s brother-in-law, Stephen Collett, has confirmed that the voice in the phone call is that of Mr Chandler.
“Paul and Rachel are blameless tourists”
Foreign Office
The armed pirates forced the pair to sail towards Somalia after their boat was captured.
Mr Chandler said the pair were being held hostage on a container ship called the Kota Wajah.
But he said their captors had not officially asked for a ransom.
He said: “They kept asking for money and took everything of value on the boat.”
A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said: "Hostage taking is never justified.
"Paul and Rachel are blameless tourists and they should be released immediately and unconditionally.
"The families are deeply concerned for the safety of their loved ones.
“Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff are in close contact with them and are offering support.”