Mumbai under terrorist attack?

[OILFAN #81]

Been watching this for a few hours now. 87 people killed and a couple hundred injured. Very terrible news.

[RW99]

I have two friends in India, but I don't know where they are staying. I sent a text right away, but haven't heard back. I hope it's just him keeping his cell off due to high rates...

[prarieboy]

I've been to India twice on work assignments.

It's a vastly different place than people here can imagine. The terrorists are driven by some misguided belief that North American/UK presence is somehow harming the country but the people I worked with and knew were just like anyone else. They just want ot do the best they can for their families and live a decent life.

In my experience average folks there don't mind the international presence because in alot of cases they provide training and skills that would otherwise not be available.

I have heard way to many of these stories from India over that last few years.

[ClubFlames]

Originally Posted by RW99

I have two friends in India, but I don't know where they are staying. I sent a text right away, but haven't heard back. I hope it's just him keeping his cell off due to high rates...

Its still very early in India right now. Its 630 am actually so maybe they are still asleep?

We just got a hold of few more of our relatives in Mumbai and thank goodness they are safe. According to them a lot of people didnt even know what happened because everything took place in the middle of the night and Mumbai is a HUGE city (5th largest I believe) so its not like they could hear anything on the other side of the city.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by icarus

My girlfriend's best friend's uncle and aunt are currently barred up in their hotel room at the Trident (Oberoi). The hotel is on fire and they fear the rest of their tour group was killed in the lobby. There are some reports they made it out but apparently they haven't yet. Really really scary, they have a 9-year-old daughter here in Australia. I am so worried about them. David and Vinka Clemmett are their names, if anyone sees any updated news on them please post it here.

Latest update is they are still stuck in the room and the army is storming the hotel now...

[FurnaceFace]

CNN has live footage, says hostages rescued now. (edit: and the other guests. This was at the Taj though...

[Joborule]

Hope my friends relatives are alright. Damn lowlifes...

[RW99]

Originally Posted by ClubFlames

Its still very early in India right now. Its 630 am actually so maybe they are still asleep?

Possible, but when I first text'ed him, it was around midnight and he keeps his phone with him when he sleeps. Well anyway, hope he gets back to me soon.

[bubbsy]

such cowardice.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by RW99

Possible, but when I first text'ed him, it was around midnight and he keeps his phone with him when he sleeps. Well anyway, hope he gets back to me soon.

There must be millions of people making phone calls into and out of India right now so it might be tough to get through for him.

I remember the NYC blackout a few years ago they said it's hard to get a signal (or whatever the technical term is) because everyone was phoning whoever they knew in New York. I'm sure they have a better infrastructure too.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by FurnaceFace

CNN has live footage, says hostages rescued now. (edit: and the other guests. This was at the Taj though...

Yeah just one hotel, the wrong one in our case. Hostage crisis still going on at the Oberoi where Mel's uncle and aunt are, so presumably they are still there. Reports of renewed gunfire there.

[CaptainCrunch]

Wow, I wonder how irrational India's military and police respnonse is going to be. They have to be in a state of absolute rage right now.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

125 dead now? Brutal.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh suggested the group behind the terrorist attacks, which killed 125 people, was based outside the country.

CNN reporters said regular gun fire and blasts could be heard Thursday at the Oberoi and Taj Mahal hotels and a Jewish center in the city.

Police had some success with 10 hostages reportedly freed from the Oberoi despite a major fire.

Maharashtra state official Bhushan Gagrani said the Taj situation was "almost sorted out" and that police expected to clear the Oberoi by tonight. Hostages remained, but he didn't say how many.

At least three or four terrorists are still holding hostages in both the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels, British officials told CNN on Thursday.


Meanwhile, Singh suggested the group behind the attacks probably had "external linkages."

"It is evident that the group which carried out these attacks, based outside the country, had come with single-minded determination to create havoc in the financial capital of the country," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapc...cks/index.html

[transplant99]

6 Canadians among the hostages.

Six Canadians are among the hostages being held at a luxury hotel in Mumbai, The Canadian Press has learned.
Government officials, speaking on background, say Prime Minister Stephen Harper was told about the situation early today and the government has set up an internal crisis team. Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon has said a number of Canadians were at the hotels hit by gunmen, but could not say what their status might be

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/World/20...7/7553511.html

[kman25]

Very sad news.....Im actually supposed to be staying in the Oberoi next month.... hope the people/groups responsible are brought to justice, just too much of this type of thing going on

[ClubFlames]

Now there are reports that all the terrorists are Pakistani's. This is bad news because now the relations between India and Pakistan will go from bad to worse.

[Winsor_Pilates]

I had a hunch they'd be from Pakistan. Amazing to me that the "war on terror" never targeted the one place responsible for 90%+ of the terrorists.

[LChoy]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

I had a hunch they'd be from Pakistan. Amazing to me that the "war on terror" never targeted the one place responsible for 90%+ of the terrorists.

Saudi Arabia?

[icarus]

Can't wait for this to be over and everyone to be released safely...

I've never had a closer connection than this to someone caught up in a terrorist attack but if stuff like this continues I think everyone will eventually know someone who knows someone who is victimised or even a closer degree of separation to terrorism.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Lchoy

Saudi Arabia?

Them too