6 foreigners among 101 dead in terror attacks in Mumbai
27/11/2008 16:38
At least 101 people have been killed in the attacks by gunmen in Mumbai
last night, police said today.
"At least six foreigners have been killed and
the death figure has gone up to 101 now," Ramesh Tayde, a senior police officer,
said from Mumbai's control room.
In one of the most violent terror attacks on
Indian soil, Mumbai came under an unprecedented night attack as militants used
heavy machine guns, including AK-47s, and grenades to strike at the city's most
high-profile targets, killing at least 101 and injuring hundreds of others,
according to latest reports.
The places under attack include the hyper-busy
CST rail terminus, the landmark Taj Hotel at the Gateway and the luxury Oberoi
Trident at Nariman Point, the domestic airport at Santa Cruz, the Cama and GT
hospitals near CST, the Metro Adlabs multiplex and Mazgaon Dockyard.
The
attacks have taken a tragic toll on the city's top police brass: The
high-profile chief of the anti-terror squad Hemant Karkare was killed, Mumbai's
additional commissioner of police ( east) Ashok Kamte was gunned down outside
the Metro, and celebrated encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar was also
killed.
The attacks appeared to be aimed at getting international attention
as the attackers took upto 40 British nationals and other foreigners hostage.
The chairman of Hindustan Unilever Harish Manwani and CEO of the company Nitin
Paranjpe were among the guests trapped at the Oberoi. All the internal board
members of the multinational giant were reported to be holed up in the Oberoi
hotel.
Two attackers were reported holed up inside the Oberoi Hotel. Fresh
firing has been reported at Oberoi and the Army has entered the hotel to flush
out the militants.
An unknown outfit, Deccan Mujahideen, has sent an email to
news organizations claiming that it carried out the Mumbai attacks.
The Army
and Navy in Mumbai were put on alert. Some 65 Army commandos and 200 NSG
commandos were being rushed to Mumbai, said Indian Home Minister Shivraj
Patil.
The Navy commandos too have been asked to assist the police. Special
secretary M L Kumawat is in constant touch with the state police.
Some media
reports attributed the attack to Lashkar-e-Taiba, one of the largest militant
organizations in South Asia. There were also unconfirmed reports that some of
the attackers came in by sea. A boat laden with explosives was recovered later
at night off the Gateway of India.
Xinhua
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