A British couple, currently in the captivity of the Somali pirates have pleaded for their lives to the British government and have stated that, the pirates are fast losing their patience and might be close to killing them. The couple was kidnapped from their yacht in the month of October by Somali pirates this year and the hostage takers had demanded a ransom of $7 million.

The heart wrenching plea made by the British couple was broadcast on Britain’s Channel 4. The unfortunate hostages have been identified as Paul and Rachel Chandler who were kidnapped from their yacht, Lynn Rival after the couple has set sail for their journey from Seychelles islands to Tanzania.

During the video plea, Mr. Chandler was surrounded by armed pirates with the muzzle of their guns pointed at him. The entire video is of two minutes of duration. However, it still isn’t clear whether the statement was made voluntarily or it was coerced statement. In the video plea, Paul Chandler said,

“Our kidnappers are losing patience. They are concerned that there has been no response at all to their demands for money. We are also concerned that these people will lose patience and will not feed us — and I have no doubt that they will not hesitate to kill us, perhaps within a week or so of now if there is no response. So, please somebody get in touch. Otherwise we just sleepwalk to a tragic ending.”

The British government has refused to pay the ransom and has stated that, it will not negotiate with the pirates. So far, the the only reaction from the government is the condemning of the kidnapping and ha stated that the couple is innocent and should be released immediately.

According to the British Foreign Ministry,

“The government will not make substantive concessions for hostage takers, including the payments of ransom.”

The hostages have never appeared to the public via any media outlets since they were kidnapped, but had been given the opportunity to speak to Rachel Chandler’s brother, Stephen Collett. In the recorded plea to the British government, Rachel Chandler said,

“We are very concerned about the future. Our captors are very impatient that nobody has been in touch about negotiations. We ask the government and the people of Britain and our families to do whatever you can to at least open negotiations with these people about money so that perhaps our lives can be bought back.”

Via CNN.