Relatives wept today as they listened to a harrowing 999 call made by a terrified schoolgirl moments before she died with six other family members in a house fire started by her father.

The family of a British crewman held hostage by pirates on a hijacked oil tanker spoke today of their joy at his release.

One of the British sailors held captive by Somali pirates on a hijacked oil tanker made light of his ordeal and said the hostages’ families “don’t have too much to worry about”.

The world’s largest shipping company announced its oil tankers would make a major detour to avoid the pirate-plagued waters off the Somali coast, it was reported today.