2 Hostages Die as Danish Navy Frees Ship Hijacked by Pirates The Danish Navy said on Tuesday that two hostages had died during an operation over the weekend that freed more than a dozen people held on a pirate mothership off the coast of Somalia. The navy said in a statement that 18 crew members of the hijacked ship had been rescued but that two more were found with severe injuries and later died despite the efforts of a navy doctor. The circumstances that led to their fatal injuries were not immediately known and their nationalities were not given. The navy said the situation was under investigation. The crew from the Absalon, a Danish warship under international command in the Gulf of Aden, had been tracking the large pirate vessel for several days before intercepting it on Sunday night as it tried to move away from the coast. The Danish ship opened fire on the vessel after it ignored both calls to stop and warning shots, the navy said. At least 17 people suspected of being pirates were taken aboard the Absalon, the navy said, and could face criminal prosecution. Danish naval ships, part of international antipiracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, have often favored negotiation over aggressive action to secure the release of hostages held by Somali pirates. According to the statement, the Absalon engaged the pirate vessel in order to keep it from threatening international shipping routes. It was unclear whether the operation had begun as a hostage rescue. Last year, seven Danish citizens, including three children, were freed without violence after being held by pirates for nearly seven months. News reports at the time indicated that a ransom may have been paid to secure their release. Somali pirates often hijack larger vessels in order to reach shipping routes far from the coast, employing them as so-called motherships that can support pirates as they embark on raids using smaller craft.