Coast Guard foils pirate attack

The Indian Coast Guard on Thursday thwarted a pirate attack on a merchant vessel from Ireland and apprehended seven persons in this connection. According to port officials, the vessel, M V Thanjin, was at a distance from Tuticorin coast, waiting to enter the port in the morning when a group of pirates in three boats moved towards it. On receiving information from Tuticorin Port Control, Coast Guard ship Aruna Asaf Ali, which was patrolling in the Gulf of Mannar, rushed to the vessel within few minutes and foiled the attack. Seven persons were arrested and a boat was seized, but others fled in the two boats. The arrested persons were handed over to the police and efforts were on to nab others.