200 still trapped in Oberoi hotel Fighting continues at Nariman

Mumbai continued to be under siege tonight despite a day-long operation by security forces to eliminate terrorists inside luxury Taj and Oberoi hotels. Some 200 persons remain trapped in the Oberoi amid blasts and exchange of gunfire in the aftermath of yesterday’s audacious terror strikes that has cost 127 lives.
Late in the night, there was a major fire in the Oberoi (Trident) hotel where about 200 people have been trapped and terrorists exploded grenades that set the roof ablaze. The other scene of action was at Nariman House, a Jewish residential complex, where some Israelis have been held hostage by some three-four terrorists.
The hand of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba is suspected in the worst terror attacks in the country but the outfit denied any involvement.
While all the hostages in the Taj were evacuated to safety, the situation in Trident worsened with the terrorists involved in a grim battle with security forces.

There were heavy casualties among the staff in both the hotels with the Taj alone accounting for 17 of them. G-o-C Maharashtra R.H. Hooda said they had done a detailed search of the 395-room hotel, but declined to give numbers of terrorists holed up or those trapped. Among the dead were nine foreigners and 14 police personnel, including ATS chief Hemant Karkare and four other senior officers.
Security agencies have sought to blame the LeT, one of whose activists was captured alive in Trident. He is said to be Abu Ismail hailing from Faridkot in Pakistan. The terrorists numbering about 20-25 are believed to have landed on Mumbai shores after a mother vessel dropped them in three inflatable boats. Seven of them have been gunned down.
“Altogether there would be around 200 persons inside the Oberoi complex in Mumbai. We believe that not less than 100 persons are at the Oberoi side and not less than 100 persons inside the Trident side,” vice-chairman of Oberoi Hotels S.S. Mukherjee said.
The plush hotel is currently surrounded by Army and NSG commandos in order to launch an offensive to flush out the holed up terrorists and rescue hostages.
“We have definite information that the casualty of our staff is around five or six,” he said.
Putting last night’s occupancy at the hotel to be around 375-385, Mukherjee said the terrorists “have not gone down the basement and have only gone to the upper floors”. He said generally his other staff were safe and secure and that they were “very concerned about guests, dignitaries, employees and other staff who are trapped inside”.
“We have very little information about what is happening inside...what we can hear is that people are generally inside the room,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to National Security Guard (NSG) officials, the Taj Hotel is almost cleared of terrorists. The commandos are still conducting mopping-up operations.
The battle between the terrorists and the commandos has resulted in the death of three commandos. It is not clear how many of them have been injured. According to the NSG, many of the hostages came out with bloodstains and signs of injury.
In all there have been more than 25 explosions at the Taj hotel, according to television channels. So far it is not clear what set off the explosions though the terrorists were all armed with grenades.
Fire Department officials were valiantly trying to put out flames from outside, using step ladders. However, with the interiors barred to them, the fire was spreading through the carpeted corridors and air-conditioning vents of the establishments.
Sounds of firing coming from both hotels indicate that pitched battles were being fought on the premises. A senior official of the Indian Navy said the commandos were conducting room-to-room searches at the Oberoi to flush out the terrorists.
Speaking to reporters in the city today, Ratan Tata, who heads the Taj Hotels, said the group would spare no expense to restore the iconic hotel, which was set up by the group’s founder Jamshedji Tata more than a century ago.
Tata mourned the deaths of several Taj employees in the terror attack.
The state police chief said today the toll in the attacks rose to 127 even as investigators from Central security agencies and the Maharashtra Police are still trying to figure out the number of terrorists who carried out the attacks in Mumbai late Wednesday night and early this morning.
“We have so far accounted for 10 terrorists, including those dead, injured and arrested. We suspect that at least 25 terrorists may have entered the city by sea to carry the terror operations,” Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister and home minister R.R. Patil said this afternoon.
Police officials say several terrorists are still holed up in Oberoi Trident and the Nariman House, all located in Colaba and Nariman Point areas of downtown Mumbai.
DGP Anami N. Roy said today that the number of dead in the terror attacks across the city rose to 127. The number of injured has been pegged at 327. However, the figures are expected to rise as several dead and injured persons have been taken out of Taj and Oberoi hotels. Commandos of the National Security Guard (NSG), the Army and the Navy are conducting joint operations.
So far an Australian, a Japanese and a British national, apart from some Americans, have been accounted for among the dead. A number of employees of the Taj and Oberoi hotels, including reception staff, bellboys and chefs, are among the casualties.
With the authorities not willing to take a chance in case some of the terrorists are hiding in the city to carry out further attacks, all cinemas, shopping malls and public entertainment across the city and suburbs have been ordered closed till further notice.
Across the city, planned trade shows, exhibitions and public activities have been ordered halted by the government even as cautious residents stayed indoors.
The police said three commando teams had stormed the Taj hotel while two had entered the Oberoi hotel. Another two NSG commando teams were set to storm the Nariman House, where an Israeli belonging to a Jewish sect and his wife have been taken hostage. Their two-year-old child and and Indian maid, who looked after them, were released by the terrorists. Some Israelis are also said to be on the premises.
Eyewitnesses said the terrorists stormed the Nariman House after taking a police van at gunpoint and forcing the policemen to drive into the place.