MUMBAI, India - Terrorists armed with automatic weapons, bombs and grenades attacked at least seven sites in Mumbai on Wednesday and were holding Western hostages at two luxury hotels, authorities said. Police and Indian media reported at least 80 people were killed and 250 wounded.
The gunmen targeted five-star hotels, a popular restaurant, a police station, a crowded train station and other sites in India's financial capital in attacks that began late Wednesday and continued into Thursday, police and witnesses said.
Explosions were heard at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel, and an ensuing fire engulfed the top of the landmark building early Thursday. Screams could be heard and enormous clouds of black smoke rose from the century-old waterfront edifice. Firefighters were spraying water at the blaze.
Meanwhile, army troops began moving into another hotel, the Oberoi, thought to contain hostages.
"We have reports of 80 people dead and at least 250 injured. Many have serious injuries and the toll will go up," P.D. Ghadge, a police officer in the main control room in Mumbai, told Reuters.
A.N. Roy, a senior police officer, said police were continuing to battle the gunmen. "The terrorists have used automatic weapons and in some places grenades have been lobbed, the encounters are still going on and we are trying to overpower them," he said.
Officials said at least four suspects were killed by police and nine others arrested.
An organization calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen sent an e-mail to news organizations claiming responsibility for the attacks. Terrorism experts said they had not previously heard of the group.
More:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27928718/
! People could be getting taken hostage! I don't even wanna go on holiday ever again! Or a plane 
! I'm so ****ing scared, Britain & America are gonna suffer, and suffer bad! Blair is such a douchebag! He should have kept his ****ing mouth shut! And Brown, don't get me started. He doesn't know anything about what's going on in the real World, all he had going on in his head for so many years was getting Blair's job. Now he's got it, he doesn't know what he's ****ing doing. RE-ELECT! I'm so scared