Crew face charges over deaths

PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL

The Italian merchant ship Enrica Lexie and its crew arrive in port in Kerala facing possible murder charges over the deaths of two Indian fishermen.

Coast guard officials allege a navy security team aboard the tanker opened fire on the fishermen whom they mistook for pirates.

SOUNDBITE: Surinder Pal Singh Basra, Inspector General, Indian Coast Guard, saying (English):

"I think they have erred in their judgment. They have error in the judgment. Innocent fishermen should not be fired at, even anywhere, there is no doubt."

The bodies of the two dead men were brought ashore at Kollam in Kerala state after the shooting on Wednesday night.

Italy's ambassador to India was summoned to a meeting at the Foreign Office to explain what happened.

The Italian Navy said the fishing boat had approached the tanker in an aggressive manner.

The state government's offered the fishermen's families compensation worth just over 10, 000 U.S. dollars.

Indian police said on Thursday they planned to take the Enrica Lexie's crew into custody when the ship docked early on Friday.

Paul Chapman, Reuters