Pakistani Boat explodes off Gujarat Coast

In a major development, a Pakistan fishing boat, full of explosives, blew itself up after being chased by the Indian Coast Guard off the Gujarat Coast. The incident occurred on December 31st/1st January. At least four suspected terrorists on board, were reportedly killed in the fire.

The Indian Navy and Coast Guard intercepted the conversation between the crew and other mysterious people in Pakistan. That made them trace the vessel. When asked to stop, the vessel started moving at a high speed. When the Navy and Coast Guard surrounded the ship with the help of choppers and armed boats, the crew set their vessel on fire.

A loud explosion occurred, confirming the presence of explosives, arms and ammunition inside the boat. The Defence Ministry issued a press statement, saying “As per the intelligence inputs received on 31st December, a fishing boat from Keti Bunder near Karachi was planning some illicit transaction in Arabian Sea. Based on the input, Coast Guard Dornier aircraft undertook sea – air coordinated search and located the suspect fishing boat”.

Due to bad weather, the boat and crew members could not be saved. However, the Indian Navy and Coast Guard continue with their search operations to locate the dead bodies and other materials on the exploded boat to establish the possible terror links.