Mumbai under terror siege

SCORES KILLED IN MULTIPLE ATTACKS

A policeman escorting out a survivor from the shooting site at Chattrapati Shivaji railway terminus in Mumbai last night

MUMBAI: At least 80 people were killed in attacks apparently aimed at tourists in India’s financial capital Mumbai last night, and television channels said Westerners were being held hostage at two five-star hotels.
At least 250 people were wounded in the series of attacks, police said. Local television channels said the army had begun moving into one of the hotels, the Oberoi, containing hostages.
Apart from the hotels, attackers also targeted the Cafe Leopold, perhaps the most famous restaurant and hang-out for tourists in the city, as well as hospitals and railway stations.
“I guess they were after foreigners, because they were asking for British or American passports,” said Rakesh Patel, a British witness who lives in Hong Kong and was staying at the Taj Mahal hotel on business. “They had bombs.”
“They came from the restaurant and took us up the stairs,” he told the NDTV news channel, smoke stains all over his face. “Young boys, maybe 20 years old, 25 years old. They had two guns.”
India has suffered a wave of bomb attacks in recent years. Most have been blamed on Islamist militants, although police have also arrested suspected Hindu extremists thought to be behind some of the attacks.
Police said targets included the luxury Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels, with television stations showing the lobby of both hotels on fire and people being evacuated from the Oberoi with their hands on their heads.
Hemant Karkare, the chief of the police anti-terrorist squad in Mumbai, was killed during the attacks, police said.
In Washington, the White House condemned the attacks. France, current president of the European Union, also condemned the attacks and hostage-takings.
A European official was among the wounded.
“My hotel is surrounded by police and there are gunmen inside,” European lawmaker Ignasi Guardans told Spanish radio from the Taj. “We are in contact with some deputies inside the hotel, with one in a room and another hidden in the kitchen. There’s another official hurt and in hospital.”
Fresh explosions were heard in the early hours today.
“An encounter is going on at the two hotels, the situation is grave,” Vilasrao Deshmukh, the chief minister told CNN-IBN TV. “Our men are on the job.”
Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil said there were around four or five attackers in each of the two hotels.
“They have attacked hotels, they have attacked the hospitals, they have attacked the railway station,” he said, adding that two attackers had been killed and two arrested.
A driver said at least 50 Koreans were stuck inside the Taj with their drivers waiting outside.
“We were just getting ready to pick them up, when we heard the first blast, police did not let us get past and they (the Koreans) are not answering the phones,” Deepak Aswar, the driver said. Europeans were also caught up in the attacks.
“I was in the restaurant inside Oberoi and I saw this series of gunshots and death which I don’t want to see again,” a Spaniard who declined to give his name said.
“I crawled out into the kitchen and waited there, until I sensed it was all quiet and seemed over.”
Maharashtra state police chief A N Roy said attackers had fired automatic weapons indiscriminately, and used grenades, adding that they were still holed up in some buildings.
“These are terrorist strikes in at least seven places,” he said.
“Unknown terrorists have gone with automatic weapons and opened fire indiscriminately. At a few places they even used grenades.”
“The lobby of the Taj hotel is on fire,” a police spokesman said. “We are trying to find out how many people are inside the hotel.” – Reuters