Search on for suspected Pakistani terror boats wreckage

Search is on for the wreckage of the suspect terror boat, the indian Coast Guard said Saturday, adding that surveillance has been increased along Gujarat coast.

Coast Guard officials said that ships and aircraft are continuing the search operation to recover wreckage or bodies of those who were seen on the boat.

However, an official said that with the sea being atleast 2,000 metres deep in the area, the task is not an easy one.

Talking to reporters in Gandhinagar, Coast Guard Commander (North-West Region) Kuldip Singh Sheoran also said surveillance has been increased.

"We are alert round-the-clock, but due to these events we are on extra alert. Our ships and aircraft are doing their job of patrolling the sea," Sheoran told reporters.

He said those onboard did not look like fishermen.

"We saw four men on the boat... they were nowhere looking like fishermen, they were wearing t-shirts and half-pants, and this raised suspicion on our side," Sheoran said.

Asked if the men seen on the boat were terrorists, he said: "Multiple Indian intelligence agencies are jointly investigating the incident and they will go to the bottom to it."

The suspicious boat was intercepted by the Coast Guard late Dec 31, and was traced and chased by aircrafts and vessels of Coast Guard.

While a warning was issued to the boat to stop for a check, it shut down its light, and four occupants seen onboard then went to a lower deck and set the boat afire.

This led to an explosion, raising the suspicion of explosives being onboard.