British couple freed by Somali pirates after year in captivity to "return to the UK very soon"

British couple freed by Somali pirates after year in captivity to "return to the UK very soon"

2010-11-15 16:08:42 GMT+7 (ICT)

LONDON (BNO NEWS) -- A British couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler, held for more than a year by Somali pirates and freed over the weekend "will return to the UK very soon," the couple said in a statement.

"We thank you all for your concern and interest. We have just learned that Paul's father died in late July, and we obviously need to come to terms with that," the couple said in a statement distributed by Press Department of the British Foreign Office.

"We will return to the UK very soon."

"We do not intend to give any press interviews or make any further statements until we have had time to adjust to the situation and we would appreciate it if you would give us and our families some space, and respect our privacy for the moment," they added.

Paul and Rachel Chandler, aged 60 and 57 respectively, were seized at gunpoint in October 2009 while sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania.

The couple from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, were flown from Somalia to the Kenyan capital Nairobi after they were set free on Sunday.

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