Suspected foreign vessel fires on Indian fishermen off Orissa coast

A suspected foreign vessel allegedly fired on Indian fishermen off the Orissa coast today when they approached it and then sailed away towards Digha in West Bengal, police said.

The vessel fired on the trawler following which the fishermen informed the police who alerted the Coast Guard, Balasore SP Rajesh Kumar said.

"A vessel has been spotted by fishermen in the Bay of Bengal between Kasaphal in Orissa and Digha in West Bengal. The Indian Coast Guard has located it and launched an operation to intercept it," he said.

There were no reports of injuries to the fishermen.

The police are yet to confirm the fishermen's claim that the vessel flew a foreign flag.

Coast Guard helicopters have been pressed into service to intercept the vessel.