A BRITISH couple kidnapped from their private yacht by Somali pirates more than a year ago were set free yesterday, ending one of the most drawn-out and dramatic hostage situations since the rash of piracy began off east Africa.

Paul and Rachel Chandler looked relaxed and smiled through a small ceremony held in the Somali town of Adado after their morning release.

Pirates boarded the Chandler's 38-foot yacht on the night of October 23, 2009, while it was sailing from the island nation of Seychelles.

The couple took early retirement about four years ago and were spending six-month spells at sea.

Efforts to free the couple by the Mogadishu-based government and Britain had failed until now. The couple yesterday flew from Adado to the capital Mogadishu and after a short stop continued on to Kenya.

"We are happy to be alive, happy to be here, desperate to see our family, and so happy to be amongstdecent, everyday people, Somalis, people from anywhere in the world who are not criminals, because we've been a year with criminals and that's not a very nice thing to be doing," Rachel Chandler said at a news conference in Mogadishu.

The pirates set the couple free at about 4am, said the leader of the government administration in Adado, Mohamed Aden. When they arrived in Adado they were taken to a safe house, took a shower and changed clothes. They then took about a 90-minute nap, Aden said. When they awoke they had what he called a "British" breakfast of fried eggs.

The couple appeared thin, suggesting they did not eat very well while in the control of pirates.

Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed met the couple and said the government had "exerted every humanly possible effort to bring you back to your loved ones."

Dahir Abdullahi, a Somali who helped negotiate their release, said the couple talked to their relatives by phone shortly after being set free.

Despite the Chandlers' release, Somali pirates still hold close to 500 hostages and more than 20 vessels, including a Panama-flagged cargo ship with 29 Chinese crew which was hijacked last Friday.

Conflicting reports from Somali officials about the Chandlers' release said either a US$300,000 ransom for "expenses" was paid or a US$1 million ransom that was contributed to by the Somali diaspora was paid.

• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)
• dramatic [drə´mætik] a.戏剧的；戏剧般的 (初中英语单词)
• ceremony [´seriməni] n.典礼；礼仪；客气 (初中英语单词)
• release [ri´li:s] vt&n.释放；放松；赦免 (初中英语单词)
• desperate [´despərit] a.拼死的；绝望的 (初中英语单词)
• anywhere [´eniweə] ad.无论何处；任何地方 (初中英语单词)
• conference [´kɔnfərəns] n.讨论(会)；会谈 (初中英语单词)
• administration [əd,minis´treiʃən] n.管理(事务等)；经营 (初中英语单词)
• shower [´ʃauə] n.展出者；阵雨；淋浴 (初中英语单词)
• minister [´ministə] n.部长；大臣 v.伺候 (初中英语单词)
• shortly [´ʃɔ:tli] ad.立刻，马上；不久 (初中英语单词)
• despite [di´spait] prep.尽管 (初中英语单词)
• ending [´endiŋ] n.结尾，结局 (高中英语单词)
• amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)
• decent [´di:sənt] a.体面的，正派的 (高中英语单词)
• everyday [´evridei] a.每日的，日常的 (高中英语单词)
• ransom [´rænsəm] n.赎金；勒索 vt.赎 (高中英语单词)
• retirement [ri´taiəmənt] n.退休；撤退；幽静处 (英语四级单词)
• negotiate [ni´gəuʃieit] v.谈判；解决；转让 (英语四级单词)