Maldives halts rescue attempt on hijacked ship

The Maldives says it has abandoned an attempt to rescue a Bolivian-flagged cargo ship hijacked by pirates because it has drifted away from its territorial waters. The National Defense Force says the vessel identified as MV Eglantine was hijacked in the Indian Ocean waters off the Maldives on Monday. A coast guard vessel began tracking the vessel. Defense Force spokesman Lt. Abdulla Ali said Wednesday they abandoned the operation Tuesday evening after the ship left Maldivian waters, according to a report of the Associated Press.