Somali pirates who seized a Comoros-flagged oil tanker have released the ship without conditions, officials say.

A Yemenia Air plane going from the Arabian Peninsula country of Yemen to the island nation of Comoros crashed in the Indian Ocean early today, a Yemen airport official said.

Explosions and gunfire have resounded in the Indian Ocean nation of Comoros as the government announced it was invading the island of Anjouan to oust a renegade colonel who seized the key island last May.

Former French mercenary Bob Denard and 26 others went on trial in a Paris court for a 1995 coup attempt on the Comoros Islands, which Denard ruled for 11 years.

Greek investigators hit more dead ends today in the hunt for the Irish owners of ship that was seized with 680 tons of explosives on board.