Foreigners under siege in Mumbai

2008-11-27 07:23

Mumbai - Gunfire rang out as commandos and armed police laid siege to gunmen holding foreigners hostage in two of the plushest hotels in India's commercial capital on Thursday, after attacks that killed at least 101 people.

Scores of tourists remained trapped in the Taj Mahal hotel, a 105-year-old city landmark, and the five-star Trident Oberoi in Mumbai's downtown peninsula, its financial and tourist heart, officials said.

At least 101 people had been killed, including six foreigners, police said.

Another 287 people were wounded in the attacks, claimed by the little-known Deccan Mujahideen group.

India's markets regulator said the Bombai Stock Exchange and the national exchange would not open on Thursday because of the unfolding crisis.

In one of the first responses by the Indian government, Trade Minister Kamal Nath described the attacks as "an unfortunate event" but said did not expect they would slow investment into an economy already under strain.

Guns and grenades

Small groups of militants armed with automatic weapons and grenades burst into the luxury hotels, a hospital and a railway station late on Wednesday, as well as a famous cafe popular with foreign tourists, firing indiscriminately and tossing grenades.

"There are many people trapped inside the two hotels it seems, and we are hearing reports of constant gunfire, mostly from the Taj hotel," a duty officer at the Mumbai police control room said.

The attackers appeared to target British and Americans as they sought hostages before settling in for a prolonged siege. Police later said an Israeli rabbi and his family were being held hostage in a Mumbai apartment.

Television footage showed gunmen in a pick-up truck spraying people with rifle fire as the vehicle drove down a Mumbai street.

Hotel staff were seen evacuating wounded on luggage trolleys, with passers-by covered in blood after they rushed to help.

Other distressed guests stood at hotel windows, although a slow trickle could later be seen leaving the Taj hotel through a back gate, surrounded by heavily armed troops and police.

Schools were closed and a curfew was imposed around the Gateway of India, a colonial-era monument. But train services were running as normal taking people to work in the stunned city.

Group claims responsibility

A little-know group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen sent an e-mail to news organisations claiming responsibility for the attacks, television channels said.

Witnesses said the attackers were young South Asian men speaking Hindi or Urdu, suggesting that they were probably members of an Indian militant group rather than foreigners.

India has suffered a wave of bomb attacks in recent years. Most have been blamed on Islamist militants, although police have also suspected Hindu extremists of carrying out some bombings.

Hotel surrounded

As dawn broke on the red, white and grey brick facade of the Taj on Mumbai's waterfront, the hotel was surrounded by armed police, ambulances and fire engines. Intermittent gunfire could be heard and flames licked from the roof of the hotel.

At least two guests, trapped in their rooms in the Taj, phoned TV stations. One said the firedoors were locked, another said he had seen two dead bodies by the swimming pool.

"Two of my colleagues are still in there and the last we heard from them was three hours ago and then the phone battery died," said a German national who escaped the Taj.

- Reuters