England are considering a temporary return home as one of a number of options to safeguard the security of their tour squad following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

The tour squad have spent the day at their hotel in Bhubaneswar considering their options after attacks on several hotels in Mumbai, which have killed more than 100 people and injured over 250 more.

After several hours of discussions with Mr N Srinivasan, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, it was decided to postpone the remaining two one-day internationals in Guwahati on Saturday and Delhi next Tuesday.

The two Test series, which begins in Ahmedabad on December 11 before culminating in Mumbai, also remains under threat with England continuing discussions with their BCCI counterparts about the future of the tour with a statement expected later today.

However, BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi is confident the Tests will be played, although he admitted the second match would be moved.

"The two Test matches are going on, the only issue is that the Mumbai test will be moved," he told Sky Sports News.

"In the next hour or so I will try to schedule that in another location.

"Chances are it will be somewhere in the south of India but we need to see which venues are available."

Hugh Morris, the ECB's managing director of English cricket, is weighing up several options, one of which is returning home immediately in the hope the situation calms down before returning for the start of the Test Series.

"We're looking at a number of different options and that is one of the options we are looking at," Morris said.

"Clearly where England go to play cricket we have security advice, we act on that security advice and if that says it is safe and secure for players and management to go that is what we will do.

"This is a tragic event and the players feel desperately sorry for all that are caught up in the event in Mumbai. They're very disturbed by it all as we all are."

Although confusion surrounds any new schedule, Modi does not think the tour will be extended.

"That will not be necessary as the Champions League Twenty20 has been postponed so we have an additional 10 days in between," he added

England first learned of the terrorism attacks as they boarded the coach back from the fifth one-day international in Cuttack and Morris held a meeting with team security advisor Reg Dickason on their return in the early hours of the morning.

There have been further meetings with the players and coach Peter Moores as the day unfolded while Morris has also reported to ECB chairman Giles Clarke and chief executive David Collier.

He has also kept Sean Morris, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, informed, but he has admitted the attacks on the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel were particularly felt by the squad after they stayed there a fortnight ago and were due to return for the final Test.

"Terrorism is a global issue," said Morris. "It's an issue that's very real to us and we do not want to compromise the safety and security of our players at any time - that's why we take safety and security so seriously.

"It's tragic at any time but when you were there two weeks ago and were due to be there in another two weeks it's really brought it home. If affects you when you know the place so well."

The attacks have already prompted the postponement of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament while England's performance programme squad, who are based in Bangalore, will be flying home in the near future.

"They were due to spend a period in Bangalore before they moved on to Mumbai and clearly that is not possible and they will return home in due course," added Morris.