FOUR AMERICANS HIJACKED by Somali pirates last Friday have been killed by their kidnappers, according to US defence officials.

Scott and Jean Adam were sailing their 58-foot yacht off the coast of Oman, along with two guests Phyllis Mackay and Bob Riggle, when their vessel S/V Quest was boarded by pirates.

US military forces had been alerted of the hijack and were trailing the vessel, attempting to conduct negotiations, when gunshots were fired. Upon storming the Quest, sailors discovered that the American hostages had been killed, reports the BBC.

Gen James Mattis of US Central Command Commander released a statement today saying that the military offered its “deepest condolences for the innocent lives callously lost aboard the Quest”, reports the Washington Post. The US Navy arrested 13 pirates and found two dead on the ship. Two pirates were killed when sailors boarded the vessel.

The website of the Scott and Jean Adam says that the couple set sail in 2002 on an eight- to 10-year voyage around the world. On the latest leg of their journey, the Adams sailed past Sri Lanka, Thailand and India. They had planned to disembark in Djibouti, before crossing the Suez Canal and sailing on to Crete.