Carnage in India: Hotels Under Siege

[Novalye]

Source: Scores killed in Mumbai rampage - CNN.com

(CNN) -- Gunmen rampaged through a series of targets in the Indian city of Mumbai killing indiscriminately and taking hostages at two luxury hotels.
An injured man is carried to a hospital in Mumbai.

Mumbai police spokesman Satish Katsa said gunmen have taken over the Taj Mahal Hotel and Hotel Oberoi, and were holding hostages on multiple floors.

Flames and smoke poured from the Taj early Thursday, and several explosions were heard at the building.

At the Oberoi the military reportedly entered the building and a large explosion was heard shortly afterwards.

Another hostage situation was unfolding at Cama Hospital, CNN's sister network in India, CNN-IBN reported.

Earlier, A.N. Roy, the police chief of Maharashtra state, said there were ongoing battles at the two five-star hotels. iReport.com: Are you there?

One witness told local reporters that gunmen tried to find people with U.S. or British passports and took about 15 of them hostage.

Andrew Stevens, a CNN anchor who was staying at the Taj with a CNN crew, estimated about half the hotel's guests were Westerners. Video Watch flames pour from the Taj Mahal Hotel »

British businessman Alan Jones told CNN.com how he was about to get out of an elevator in the Oberoi when another guest was shot.

"A bullet hit one of the Japanese men in the back of the leg. Flesh and blood splattered everywhere." Read Alan Jones' story

IBN, quoting police sources, reported hostages were taken at the both hotels.

Gunmen armed with automatic weapons and grenades hit nine sites including the hotels, a cafe, a hospital and a train station in coordinated attacks, police say.

A police spokesman said 87 people had been killed and 185 wounded. Among the dead were nine suspected terrorists, police said.

Among the dead is the head of the Maharashtra state's anti-terror squad, who apparently died in the violent aftermath of the attacks rather than being a target for the killers.

Two suspected militants were gunned down and nine suspects had been arrested, Gagrani said. Three people were detained for questioning from one of the hotels, he added. Video Watch the chaos as gunmen hit numerous targets »

Sajjad Karim, associated with a group of European lawmakers attending an upcoming EU-India summit, told The Associated Press that he was in the main lobby of the Taj Mahal Hotel when "there was all of a sudden a lot of firing outside."
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As he tried to get away, he told the AP: "Another gunmen appeared in front of us, carrying machine gun-type weapons. And he just started firing at us. ... I just turned and ran in the opposite direction."

Video showed scenes of chaos, with people crowding Mumbai's streets, some helping others who appeared to be wounded. Video Watch scenes of destruction »

The attacks began about 2230 local time (1700 GMT) and more than two hours later witnesses were reporting new explosions and gunfire.

A group called Deccan Mujahideen claimed responsibility, IBN reported, but analysts told CNN that may be a front name to throw investigators off who was really behind the attacks.

The targets include businesses frequented by international visitors in the city which is India's financial center.

A local journalist told CNN he had seen evidence of an attack at the city's domestic airport, which is on the outskirts of the Mumbai.

IBN reported explosions at a gas station and inside a taxi on a dockside road.

Attacks were carried out at the Taj and Oberoi hotels, the popular Café Leopold, and Cama Hospital, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station.

Sourav Mishra, a Reuters.com reporter, was with friends at the Cafe Leopold when gunmen opened fire.

"I heard some gunshots ... Something hit me. I ran away and fell on the road. Then somebody picked me up. I have injuries below my shoulder," Mishra said from a hospital bed he was sharing with three other people.

India has suffered a number of attacks in recent years, including a string of bombs that ripped through packed Mumbai commuter trains and platforms during rush hour in July 2006. About 209 people were killed in that attack.

Last July, a series of synchronized bomb blasts in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad left 49 dead and more than 100 wounded, police said.

But Paresh Parihar, a businessman in Mumbai, described Wednesday's attacks as unlike anything he had seen.

"They really don't fear for their lives or any other activity that could put them in danger," he told CNN. "This is really a very unusual situation."

U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood said: "We are monitoring the situation very closely and stand ready to support the Indian authorities as they deal with this horrific series of attacks."

The U.S. has opened a telephone hotline for citizens concerned about family or friends who may be visiting or living Mumbai.

On CNN right now as Breaking News. >_>;

[Kiro]

Heard about this a few hours ago, didn't bother to post it though. Looks like they had some fun.

Edit: Nevermind. HAVING fun.

[Lordwafik]

What the hell? What's their motive ?

[Kiro]

Ultra Kill.

[Churchill]

If I had to guess, Pakistani based terrorists branching out from attacks against US stuff in Pakistan to an area they could move around in more freely.

[Joran]

Been watching this on and off on MSNBC. They keep calling this a hostage situation, but it seems like nothing more than a terrorist attack to me. Just far too chaotic to be an intentional hostage situation. If your intent is to take hostages, it seems like bad policy to just open fire on anyone you meet in the hallway of the hotel. It really seems like they just want to cause as much damage and bloodshed, and prolong this as long as possible. Perhaps they have more groups ready to attack other areas, and the hostage situation is just a diversion so they can prepare for even bigger targets.

[fren.]

If their plan was to take Americans hostage, why not do it any other day except the day prior to Thanksgiving?

Dumb terrarists

[Kiro]

They want to ruin Thanksgiving, duh. They're like a middle-eastern version of the Grinch. Except a month too early and on the wrong holiday. :<

[Xno Kappa]

A hostage who escaped was saying on the news that the terrorists were looking for people with American or British passports.

[Weltall]

What a bunch of morons; the people standing around in the street watching are just as idiotic.

[Kuya]

A hostage who escaped was saying on the news that the terrorists were looking for people with American or British passports.

Related to Pakistan and Afghanistan?

[Xno Kappa]

Just any tourists in general. The coordinated attacks were in popular restaurants, luxury hotels and train stations.

[Pun]

Been watching this all night. My neighbors' family lives in Mumbai, thankfully they are all safe.

[_chuchu]

Ultra Kill.

Damn you, Kiro. Why did I laugh at this?

[melbufrauma]

Edited.

[Kiro]

Damn you, Kiro. Why did I laugh at this?

'Cause you're sick. :>

[_chuchu]

'Cause you're sick. :>

NOU

[Correction]

What the hell? What's their motive ?

They're muslims without any political power. What is always the motive in this case?

[Vuitton]

It wasn't just two luxury hotels and a hospital. I believe a total of 7 or 9 different areas are currently victim to what is going on. A few restaurants, cafes, train stations, and various locations of cars blowing up in crowded districts.

[gamez]

It was that many locations, they've just listed the luxury hotels and the cafes were the immeadiate surroundings, but the hospitals and the train stations as well. The only reason for the focus on the hotels was they're very popular/well known(Taj Mahal Palace hotel is pretty much ablaze with tons of hostages) and it's easier to relate location names like that to us, but yeah, CBC says about 80 dead.