NIGHTMARE: Taj, Oberoi, CST, Santa Cruz, Colaba & Three Hospitals Among 12 Places Attacked By Terrorists, Killing Over 100. ATS Chief Hemant Karkare, DIG Among Killed. 15 UK Nationals Held Hostage At Taj. Army, NSG Called In
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Mumbai came under an unprecedented and dastardly night attack as terrorists used heavyduty guns, including AK-47s and grenades to strike at the city’s most high-profile targets — CST (formerly VT) rail terminus, the fivestar Taj and Oberoi hotels at Gateway and Nariman Point, the domestic airport at Santa Cruz and Cama and GT hospitals near CST, killing over 100 (there were conflicting reports of the toll) and sending more than 250 to hospital, according to preliminary reports at the time of going to press just past midnight. There were unconfirmed reports that some of the terrorists came in by sea, by speedboats.
The attacks occurred on the busiest places, including starred hotels (Taj and Oberoi), hospitals (Cama Hospital and G T Hospital), one of the country's busiest stations (CST), at a petrol pump (in Colaba) and on roads (Colaba, the Metro Junction, Crawford Market, Wadi Bunder and on the Western Express Highway near the airport). Several of these places are within a onekm radius of the commissioner of police's office.
A vehicle that looked like a police van was reported to be moving around south Mumbai spraying bullets indiscriminately. Reports indicated that it may have been hijacked. The entire board of a multinational giant was reported to be holed up in the Oberoi hotel. Some media reports attributed the attack to Lashkar-e-Taiba.
"This is definitely a terrorist strike. Seven places have bee attacked with automatic weapons and grenades. Terrorists are still holed up in three locations — Taj and Oberoi hotels and GT Hospital. Encounters are on at all three places,” said state DGP A N Roy.
St George's Hospital and G T Hospital were said to have received 75 bodies and more than 250 injured people, additional municipal commissioner R A Rajeev said. Bombay Hospital got two bodies and 30 injured people were admitted there; Cooper Hospital, Vile Parle, got three dismembered bodies.
Three of the deaths occurred inside the Taj and one G T Hospital attendant died in a shootout inside the hospital. There were reports of people cowering under tables and chairs at both the Taj as well as G T Hospital.
Metro Junction resident Manoj Goel said: ``My brother, Manish, died in the firing at Colaba's Hamaal Galli.'
Cops fired back at the men --probably from one of the Lashkar groups, dressed in black and with backpacks — and SRPF, Crime Branch, ATS and teams of military commandos were summoned to the spot. Train services at CST were suspended and all roads leading to and from south Mumbai were blockaded.
Chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh promised ``stringent action'' against the assailants but the mood across Mumbai was not so optimistic.
There were reports of firing around several landmark buildings in the Colaba-Nariman Point area, including the Taj hotel, Oberoi and other tourist attractions and pubs like Leopold's. The top floor of Oberoi was said to be on fire amid reports of blasts in the area and blood-smeared bodies were being brought out of the Taj lobby. Terrorists were said to be holed up at the Taj as well as G T Hospital and cops scampered to cordon off these places. A white flag was seen fluttering from an Oberoi Hotel window around 11.20 pm, where a blast was said to have occurred.
The blast on the Western Express Highway -- near Centaur Hotel outside the airport -- occurred in a taxi, deputy commissioner of police Nissar Tamboli said.
The firing and bombing started close to the Gateway of India. The gunbattle then moved on towards CST and raged on for over an hour from 10 pm, sending commuters running out of the station.
The assailants also fired into the crowd at CST and people on the trains and then ran out of the station themselves and into neighbouring buildings, including Cama Hospital, after being challenged by cops.
SRPF personnel then entered the iconic BMC building -- just opposite CST -- to take aim at the assailants, BMC commissioner Jairaj Phatak said.
`We fear some of the assailants are still inside the station and we want to catch them if they come out,'' a police official said.
Vikhroli police station senior inspector Habib Ansari was on his way to work from his Colaba home when he saw two armed men, with sophisticated weaponry, trying to run into bylanes near the Gateway of India.``I rushed back to Colaba and all policemen, including GRP and RPF personnel, were called up,'' he added.
Bhisham Mansukhani, a journalist, was attending a wedding reception at the Taj's Crystal Room. `I was inside the bar when glass shards almost hit my eye,'' he said. `More than 200 people were escorted inside Chambers, a business centre inside the hotel,'' he added.
High alert in Uttar Pradesh
Statewide high alert was sounded in Uttar Pradesh, particularly in Lucknow, late on Wednesday evening following the terror attack on Mumbai. Additional director general of police (ADG), law & order, crime and special task force (STF), Brij Lal said that alert was sounded across the state. TNN
TERROR BY NIGHT
Over 100 killed , at least 250 injured in terror attack on heart of south Mumbai
Firing around several landmark buildings in Colaba-Nariman Point area, including Taj Gateway hotel and Oberoi hotel
Top floor of Oberoi was said to be on fire amid reports of blasts in the area; blood-smeared bodies were brought out of Taj lobby
Firing and blasts also reported from Mazgaon, the Metro Junction, Crawford Market and Colaba
Reports of a blast in a taxi near Vile Parle
Firing and bombing apparently began close to Gateway of India just before 10pm. The gunbattle then moved towards CST and raged on for over 45 minutes
Assailants fired into crowd at CST and people on trains then ran out of the station into nearby buildings
Just before going to press, fresh blasts were reported at the Taj and Oberoi Trident.
No comments:
Post a Comment