Sunday, November 30, 2008

MUMBAI: Scene of Unimaginable Carnage Inside Taj Majal Hotel

The scene Saturday night inside the Taj Majal hotel was one of unimaginable carnage in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist onslaught across Mumbai.

Two Indian commandos told FOX News that 150 bodies still were inside the hotel, and dead victims were found all over the hotel, on all five floors.

The terrorists used incendiary bombs, or grenades thrown on gas or fuel canisters, indicating they had access to the Taj hotel in advance, though the Taj Majal hotel denies any staffers were involved.

PHOTO ESSAY: (WARNING: Graphic Images)

The rampage on 10 different sites in India's financial capital began late Wednesday night, and it didn't draw to a close until Saturday morning with the terrorists' final standoff at the Taj Majal.

The last two terrorists were taken out on the first floor. Indian forces threw grenades at them from four different directions and then shot and killed them.

The reason the siege at the hotel took so long to end, Indian commandos say, was that they didn't know how many terrorists were inside.

The commandos also said they were surprised at how much ammunition the terrorists had. There still was a lot left, even after the attack.

"Terrorists are far more advanced today. We didn't realize that they had satellite phones for communication or that they would be so advanced and use incendiary bombs," one commando said. The siege was particularly troubling because "they didn't spare women or children."

FOX News' Reena Ninan contributed to this report. Scene of Unimaginable Carnage Inside Taj Majal Hotel FOXNews

Other related stories:

1 Mumbai: Authorities Face Questions Over Siege
TIME

2 SA family tell of mayhem in Mumbai when terrorists struck: The Times

3 Pakistan warns India against Mumbai accusations Radio Netherlands

4. Mumbai horror: Rescue workers shocked by Chabad massacre site
Ynetnews, Israel