Series of 'terror attacks' hit Mumbai

Wednesday, 26 November 2008

Police say a series of attacks by terrorist gunmen have hit at least seven sites in Mumbai, including two luxury hotels. Indian television is reporting that at least 18 people have been killed.


A.N. Roy, a senior police officer, said police were battling the gunmen.

"The terrorists have used automatic weapons and in some places grenades have been lobbed. The encounters are still going on and we are trying to overpower them," Roy said.

The gunmen attacked two luxury hotels, the Taj Mahal and the Oberoi, as well as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station in southern Mumbai and Leopold's restaurant, a landmark in the financial capital.


Television stations showed fires in the lobby of both hotels and people being evacuated from the Oberoi with their hands on their heads.


A UK Foreign Office spokesman said there have been reports of an explosion close to the domestic airport as well as of shootings in various parts of Mumbai.

He said: "We are waiting for authorities to assess the situation.

"We advise all British nationals in the city to stay indoors until local authorities advise it is safe to go outside.

"We are monitoring developments closely and are in touch with the British Deputy High Commissioner in Mumbai."



A British Euro-MP was among guests under siege in their Mumbai hotel in the wake of the attacks.

Sajjad Karim, speaking by mobile phone from a barricaded basement room at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, said he and others had fled from machine-gun fire and had no idea why the hotel was targeted.

He said: "I was in the lobby of the hotel when gunmen came in and people started running. There were about 25 or 30 of us.

"Some of us split one way and some another. A gunman just stood there spraying bullets around, right next to me. I managed to turn away and I ran into the hotel kitchen and then we were shunted into a restaurant in the basement.

"We are now in the dark in this room and we've barricaded all the doors. It's really bad."

Mr Karim is part of a delegation of Euro-MPs visiting Mumbai ahead of the forthcoming EU-India summit.

He said that as he ran from the lobby, he saw people falling but did not know the extent of any casualties. He said it seemed to be a "random attack".

Mr Karim, a North West MEP, defected from the Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives in the European Parliament a year ago.


The Taj Mahal Palace, one of the most famous hotels in India, was home to the England cricket team when they visited Mumbai around two weeks ago.

They were also planning to use the hotel on their return to the city for the team's second Test Match against India, which is scheduled to start on 19 December.

The team were in the eastern Indian city of Cuttack today after losing their latest one-day game against India.


Mumbai has been hit repeatedly by terror attacks since March 1993, when Muslim underworld figures tied to Pakistani militants allegedly carried out a series of bombings on Mumbai's stock exchange, trains, hotels and gas stations. Authorities say those attacks, which killed 257 people and wounded more than 1,100, were carried out to revenge the deaths of hundreds of Muslims in religious riots which had swept India.

Ten years later, in 2003, 52 people were killed in Mumbai bombings blamed on Muslim militants and in July 2007 a series of seven blasts ripped through railway trains and commuter rail stations. At least 187 died in those attacks.

jUST NOW NEWS REACHED ME THAT

20 ARMY PERSONAL HAVE ENTERED NCPA BULIDING, WHICH IS JUST OPPOSITE OBEROI HOTEL, 5 ON ROOF TOP.
THEY ARE GETTING READY TO STORM OBEROI

I am watching cocktail of TV channels
AAJTAK, STAR NEWS, NDTV, CNN IBN, IBN 7

PLUS
my friend lives in NCPA, who is online with me on phone continiously since 10pm. Its happenening just before his eyes

At least 78 people - including the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare - are killed and more than 200 are injured as unidentified groups of gunmen opened fire in at least four places across south Mumbai on Wednesday night. Mumbai police confirm it is a terrorist attack.

ohhhhhhhhh noooooooooooooooooooooooooo

entire top floor of TAJ HOTEL TOMB (left side and not the main centre ) has been blown off and its in flames. Fire is spreading and even the central top floor tomb of Taj Hotel is in flames

8th Blast reported at Hotel Taj.

100 people rescued from Taj. Firing still going on in Taj.

TAJ HOTEL HAD BEEN DECLARED HERITAGE PROPERTY

I FEEL EVEN OFFICES WOULD BE CLOSED TODAY

FIREFIGHTERS EFFORTS UNDERWAY AT TAJ HOTEL.

ARMY IS INSIDE TAJ AND no fireworks can be heard in TAJ