Battles continue for Mumbai terror hostages

Indian special forces raided two luxury hotels tonight trying to free hostages taken by terrorists who massacred more than 100 people in a series of co-ordinated attacks.

Security services said around a dozen gunmen remained inside the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels in central Mumbai.

Explosions and gunshots still shook India’s financial capital almost 24 hours after the attacks by suspected Muslim militants began.

Authorities said 119 people died and 300 were injured when the militants - armed with assault rifles, hand grenades and explosives – launched their attacks against 10 sites in the city. Eight of the terrorists were also killed

Dozens of people were being held hostage at the hotels, as well as a nearby Jewish centre, by the well-trained and heavily armed gunmen.

While hostages trickled out of the hotels throughout the day, witnesses said many bodies remained inside and the siege showed few signs of ending quickly. Several bodies were carried out of the five-star Taj Mahal.

Dozens of people were also apparently still hiding in their rooms, terrified by occasional bursts of gunfire and explosions, as well as fires burning in parts of both hotels, and waiting for authorities to get them to safety.

After dusk today police brought hostages out of the Oberoi, one of the city’s best-known five-star hotels.

One man who did not give his name told reporters he had seen many bodies inside, but refused to give more details, saying he had promised police not to discuss details of the rescue operation.

The Maharashtra state home ministry said 84 people had been freed from the Oberoi – 60 of them hostages – and dozens more were still trapped inside.

Police said they were going slowly to protect the captives.

A previously unknown Islamic militant group claimed responsibility for the carnage, the latest in a series of terror attacks over the past three years that have dented India’s image as an industrious nation galloping toward prosperity.

Among the dead were at least one Australian, a Japanese and a British national, said Pradeep Indulkar, a senior government official of Maharashtra state. An Italian and a German were also killed, according to their foreign ministries.