U.S. warships were in the area around the pirates' lifeboat and a U.S. military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said crew members from one of the warships, the destroyer USS Bainbridge, were able on Friday to see Phillips from a distance of several hundred yards (metres) moving and talking aboard the life boat after his failed escape.
Phillips is one of about 270 hostages being held by Somali pirates preying on the busy sea-lanes of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
Source: www.reuters.com
