Somali pirates held hostage crew members of the Taiwan-owned Omani-flagged fishing vessel Naham 3. They were taken captive in the south of the Seychelles in March 2012.
The hostage victims included 10 from the Chinese mainland, two from Taiwan, and 17 others from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
"It wasn't until I saw the planes that I finally believed that I was going home, really!" Leng Wenbing said. He is a sailor from Sichuan.
Hua Chunying, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said that the 26 crew members were rescued through the cooperation of various groups. She expressed gratitude to "all the organizations and people who had participated in the rescue."
A representative of the pirates said that $1.5 million was paid for the release.
John Steed, the coordinator of the Hostage Support Partners (H.S.P.) who helped negotiate their release, said, "We are very pleased to announce the release of the Naham 3 crew early this morning."
Leng said, "Pirates treated us like babysitters, forcing us to wash clothes, cook dinners and clean their guns."
He also said that they were fed rats, snakes, birds and cats. They were given a bowl of water and two main meals a day.
They were confined in a 10 square feet room in the middle of the forest, according to Leng. He was also beaten severely when he tried to escape.
"When I was in Somalia, I always dreamed of coming home. However, when I woke up, I was still in that place," said Leng. "I could not stop missing home or get rid of my nightmares."
Steed echoed Leng's sentiment. He said, "They have spent over four and a half years in deplorable conditions away from their families."