EYL, Somalia Apr 7 (Garowe Online) - The mayor of a small coastal village in northern Somalia dismissed media reports that a French luxury yacht hijacked by pirates on Apr. 4 has anchored near the village of Eyl.

Abdullahi Said O’Yusuf, the mayor of Eyl, told Radio Garowe on Monday that the hijacked French yacht had passed Eyl and headed south towards coastal waters off the region of Mudug, in central Somalia.

Western news agencies reported that the French yacht and its 30-member crew had docked near the coastal village of Eyl.

But Mayor O’Yusuf, who reached the Puntland capital city of Garowe today, repeatedly denied the widespread reports, saying that the townspeople of Eyl would “not allow” the pirates to dock near their small fishing village.

The mayor of Eyl criticized the government of Puntland, a regional autonomy in northern Somalia, for not responding to earlier concerns about commercial vessels who fish illegally in Somali territorial waters.

According to Mayor O'Yusuf, such vessels "reinforce pirates" because local fishermen cannot compete with these foreign-owned commercial ships.

Unconfirmed reports emerging from the region of Mudug said the hijacked ship had reached a small coastal town in the village, where armed villagers engaged the pirates in a skirmish that killed at least two people.

Clan elders in Mudug contacted by Radio Garowe said they had heard of the report, but declined to comment until they reach the remote location for confirmation.

Piracy has been a major problem along Somalia's ungoverned coast for years, due to the lack of an effective central government in Mogadishu.

NATO warships and military aircraft are reported to be partaking in efforts to rescue the 30 crewmen, including Frenchmen, Koreans and Ukrainians, according to Western media reports.

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Source: Garowe Online