101 killed in Mumbai attacks
Updated on 27 November 2008
A series of coordinated attacks on targets in India's financial centre leaves 101 people dead and hundreds more wounded.
Suspected Islamist terrorists are holding an unknown number of people hostage at a luxury hotel in Mumbai, more than 15 hours after a series of attacks on the Indian city which killed 101, including six foreigners, and wounded hundreds more.
A Briton, an Australian and a Japanese man were among the dead, a spokesman at the Maharashtra state home ministry said.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown described the co-ordinated attacks on different targets across Mumbai including two hotels as "outrageous".
This morning, the Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi Trident hotels were surrounded by Indian troops and it was reported some westerners remained there, apparently being held hostage by the terrorists.
Maharashtra state police chief A.N. Roy told local media today that the hostage situation had ended at the Taj hotel, but that there were still apparently hostages in the Oberoi.
"People who were held up there, they have all been rescued," Roy told the NDTV news channel. "But there are guests in the rooms, we don't know how many."
Last night gunmen stormed sites including the two hotels, a train station, a hospital and a restaurant.
'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.'Sajjad Karim, British MEP
Witnesses, including British Euro MEP Sajjad Karim, described how they sprayed bullets indiscriminately into crowds of people.
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."
He described how as he ran from the lobby, he saw people falling and said it seemed to be a "random attack".
North West MEP Mr Karim is part of a trade delegation visiting Mumbai for talks. All the members of the group are now thought to be safe.
'They told everybody to stop and put their hands up and asked if there were any British or Americans. My friend said to me, "Don't be a hero, don't say you're British."'Alex Chamberlain
Cheryl Robinson, a British tourist who was trapped at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, said she sheltered under a table during the attack.
She said: "We were at dinner when we heard shots fired. There was gunfire and explosions.
"The hotel staff told us to be quiet. The staff were stupendous. They locked the doors and warned us to sit tight."
She said rooms were flooded with water after a pipe burst in the chaos of the gunshots and blasts.
"We lay down in the water. We could hear the sound of people running outside. It was terrifying," she said.
Alex Chamberlain, who works for a sports website and was in the city on business, told Sky News he believed the gunmen were looking for British and American visitors.
Foreign Office helpline
If you are concerned about friends or relatives in Mumbai, the Foreign Office has issued a helpline. The number is 0207 008 0000.
He said: "They told everybody to stop and put their hands up and asked if there were any British or Americans. My friend said to me, 'Don't be a hero, don't say you are British'.
"I am sure that is what this is all about. They were talking about British and Americans specifically."
A spokesman for the foreign office said he could not give any indication of the number of Britons involved in the incident and could not comment on reports that British people were being targeted.
The attacks have attracted international condemnation. Prime Minister Gordon Brown vowed a "vigorous response" to the attacks and promised to back the Indian government as it responded to them.
In the US, a State Department spokesman said: "We strongly condemn the terrorist attacks that have taken place in Mumbai, India."
A group called Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the attack.
As recently as October 30, 11 bombs exploded in Assam where a 30-year insurgency campaign by an ultranationalist group is taking place, killing 77 people and injuring more than 300.
