Suicide boat: Four dead as Pakistan vessel blows itself up while being chased

The crew of a Pakistani fishing boat blew up and sank their vessel after trying to evade capture at the hands of the Indian navy in a high-speed chase at sea, officials said Friday. All four people on board the vessel from near the Pakistani port city of Karachi are believed to have been killed in the dramatic episode in the Arabian Sea. Indian Coast Guard ships and aircraft tried to intercept the boat near the maritime border with Pakistan, around 365 kilometres from the coastal state of Gujarat, following an intelligence tip-off.

The coast guard has foiled attempts of a suspected terror boat that was actually spotted near the Indo-Pak maritime border.

BJP spokesman GVL Narasimha

"However, the boat increased speed and tried to escape away from the Indian side of maritime boundary. The hot pursuit continued for nearly one hour," a defence ministry statement added. Although the boat did eventually stop after warning shots were fired, the four-man crew then hid themselves below deck before setting the boat on fire which triggered a large explosion. "Due to darkness, bad weather and strong winds, the boat and persons on board could not be saved or recovered. The boat burnt and sank in the same position, in early hours of January 1," said the statement.

Possibly this was yet another attempt to sneak terrorists into the Indian territory.

BJP spokesman GVL Narasimha

Gujarat Asia-Pacific