- Title: INDIA: Gunfire at Taj hotel
- Date: 29th November 2008
- Summary: MUMBAI, INDIA (NOVEMBER 29, 2008) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SCENES) E VARIOUS EXTERIORS AND WINDOWS OF TAJ MAHAL HOTEL (AUDIO GUNFIRE AND EXPLOSIONS)
- Embargoed: 14th December 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: India
- Country: India
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
- Reuters ID: LVA2F1F0IMG4TD5MSG113EQVPUA5
- Story Text: Gunfire and explosions rock a luxury Mumbai hotel, the last battleground after three days of attacks that have killed at least 144 people.
Gunfire and explosions rocked a luxury Mumbai hotel early on Saturday (November 29), the last battleground after three days of attacks by Islamist militants in India's financial capital that have killed at least 144 people.
Two or three gunmen remained holed up in the vast, 105-year-old Taj Mahal hotel, but all the others had been killed or taken into custody, officials said.
India blamed the strike on "elements" from Pakistan, raising tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals. Pakistan said the two countries faced a common enemy and it would send its spy chief to share intelligence.
On Thursday (November 27), elite Indian troops stormed a Jewish centre and another luxury hotel, the Trident-Oberoi. They killed two gunmen at the Jewish centre after sliding down ropes from helicopters onto its roof, but failed to save the lives of five hostages, including a New York-based rabbi and his wife.
The commandos freed 143 hostages at the Trident-Oberoi, including foreign tourists and businessmen who emerged with harrowing stories of the bloodshed inside. Two gunmen were killed.
As onlookers cheered and chanted "Victory to mother India", many of the troops moved to the Taj, where militants have been fighting for over 48 hours.
Police said 24 bodies had been found inside, but that number could rise.
The militants' action has struck at the heart of the city of 18 million people, engine room of an economic boom that has made India a favourite emerging market.
It is also home to the "Bollywood" film industry, the epitome of glamour in a country still blighted with poverty.
The attacks were carried out by a small army of young men armed with rifles and grenades, some of whom arrived by sea, who fanned out across Mumbai on Wednesday night to attack sites popular with tourists and business executives.
Police said 16 foreigners were among the 144 killed. At least 283 were wounded.
Three Germans, three Americans, one Australian, a Briton, one Canadian, two French, an Israeli, an Italian, a Japanese, a Singaporean and a Thai, were among the dead, according to various governments.
Fear was palpable throughout the city, although it has been targeted by militants previously.
Mumbai was hit by serial bomb blasts in 1993 that killed at least 260 people at the stock exchange and other landmarks. Two years ago, more than 180 people died when Islamist militants bombed commuter trains. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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