An explosive-laden fishing boat
with four Pakistani nationals on board blew itself up on 31 December around
midnight after being intercepted by a coastguard ship and a plane near Gujrat
coast.
Until now no survivors have been
reported from the boat which was coming from Karachi, Pakistan. The government
has described the incident as an illicit transaction in the Arabian Sea waters.
According to the sources, the boat had explosive meant to be transported to
another boat about 350 kilometers southwest of Porbandar in Gujrat.
No further information was
provided in the statement issued by the government that said, "Coast Guard
Intercepts Suspect Boat Carrying Explosives in Arabian Sea." The amount or
the nature of the explosive was not explained in the same.
The statement explained that on
the morning of the 31st December a phone call was intercepted from Keti Bunder
near Karachi in which a "expensive cargo" was discussed that was
supposed to be delivered near India. The India navy took cognizance of the same
and got alerted; coast guard ships and aircraft were sent vigil.
"The boat increased speed
and tried to escape away from the Indian side of maritime boundary. The hot
pursuit continued for nearly one hour," the statement said.
The boat had to stop after the
warning shots were fired by the Coast Guards in a chase that lasted around one
hour. The four member crew then hid themselves under the deck and set the vessel
ablaze that eventually caused the explosion.
Deputy Director General of
Operations of the Indian Coast Guard, KR Nautiyal said, "The boat was
cornered by our team, but it continued sending signals of non-compliance. We
followed all protocol to send warnings to the boat."
This suspicious incident brings
back the horrible memories of 26/11 attack on Mumbai that shook the entire
nation. The gory attack rendered 166 dead and several others injured, including
foreign nationals.
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