The Absalon, a Danish warship serving in NATO’s counter-piracy mission Ocean Shield, fired on the suspect boat, a traditional dhow, after it disobeyed orders to stop, the navy said. Seventeen suspected pirates were arrested.

“Two hostages were found seriously wounded, and even with speedy assistance from the Absalon’s doctor, their lives could not be saved,” the navy command said in a statement.

“It seems that they were wounded during the operation,” said navy spokesman Kenneth Nielsen said. “The other hostages are fine, under the circumstances, and there are no killed or wounded among the pirates.”

Nielsen declined to disclose the nationalities of the hostages before the Danish authorities inform their families.

The incident highlights the dangers of tackling piracy which has become a huge problem in recent years as pirates from lawless, poverty-stricken Somalia seek large ransoms to release ships and hostages.

“They tried all harmless means to stop it but with no effect,” Nielsen said. “It went from call, to warning, to warning shots, and in the end they (the Absalon crew) were tasked to direct fire to parts of the vessel to stop it.”

The incident will be subjected to a thorough investigation, the navy said.

As part of NATO’s anti-piracy drive, the Absalon had kept the suspect boat under surveillance for some time and stopped it during the night between Sunday and Monday when it attempted to sneak away from the coast into open waters.

Nielsen said the captured pirates would be held aboard the Absalon until Denmark could determine if it could hand them over to a country in the region to be prosecuted.