Crew on two ships hijacked by drug traffickers in the Golden Triangle last week have been confirmed dead

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Thirteen Chinese sailors have been killed by suspected drug traffickers who hijacked their ships on the Mekong river.

China Daily newspaper said two cargo boats were seized last Wednesday and 12 bodies were found near Chiang Rai in northern Thailand on Friday and Saturday. Another body was found in the same area early on Monday, China's official news agency, Xinhua, said.

Most of the victims had been bound, blindfolded and shot, the China Daily newspaper reported. The crew included two female cooks.

Local authorities captured both boats after a gun battle with the hijackers and found cargo that included speed pills worth 100 million baht (£2m), garlic, apples and fuel.

The Post cited Thai army officials as saying a gang run by the suspected drug trafficker Nor Kham was believed to be behind the attacks. The gang demands protection money from ships it hijacks on the Mekong and kills crew who refuse to co-operate, it added. The boats are then used to smuggle drugs from Burma to Thailand.

China's foreign ministry said Chinese diplomats had asked for the Thai government's help in investigating the incident.

The Golden Triangle, where the borders of Burma, Laos and Thailand meet, is notorious for the production and trafficking of heroin and other illicit drugs.

In April, three Chinese boats and 34 crew were taken hostage by pirates along the Mekong in Burma but were rescued within days.