Mumbai terrorist attacks

India’s financial capital, Mumbai has been hit by a series of coordinated attacks today. Gunmen opened fire at a number of locations in the city — they included luxury hotels, a train station, and a restaurant popular with foreign tourists. More than 70 people are reported dead, and hundreds injured.

The U.S. State Department issued a statement condemning what it called "this horrific set of attacks."

"The World" talks to Nikhil Dixit, a crime reporter with the "Mumbai Daily News and Analysis," who is stationed outside the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, where some of the terrorists responsible for the attacks are currently holding hostages.

Dixit describes the scene: "Firing and gunshots … one can see that the firing has been ongoing. Members of the military and the national security guard commandos have now cordoned off the entire hotel, and now they’re planning to barge in [to] the hotel … because there are at least two terrorists who are holed up on the sixth floor of the Taj Mahal Hotel. What they’re doing is they’re firing from the terrace, and also shooting handguns outside at the police.

"At least five bombs have gone off inside the Taj Mahal Hotel."

According to Dixit: "From what we know … at least about ten terrorists entered the city from the sea … they were aboard a high-speed motorboat which came to the … southernmost tip of the city."

More on this story, including video, on the BBC News website.

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