Troops Appear to Be Regaining Mumbai Control

"They seem to know their way around the back office, the kitchen. There has been a considerable amount of detailed planning," he told a news conference.

A man injured in firing leans on a railing in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008. Police say...

A man injured in firing leans on a railing in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008. Police say several people have been wounded in a series of attacks by terrorist gunmen at seven sites in Mumbai, including two luxury hotels. A.N. Roy, a senior police officer, says police were battling the gunmen.

(AP Photo)
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Survivors told of chaos inside the hotels with the attacks erupting as many sat down to meals in the hotels' dining rooms. They described dead bodies in hallways, by the pool, of hiding behind tables covered with table cloths, of marble and sleek wooden floors streaked with blood.

Some were trapped by terrorists while others were trapped by the fires that burned out of control. Hotel customers were seen in their windows signaling desperately for rescue while others flicked their lights on and off in a distress signal.

One group described slinking downstairs, their shoes in their hands to muffle the noise and avoid alerting the terrorists.

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"There is fear and paralysis in this part of the city, which is one of the commercial districts," ABC News' Nick Schifrin said from southern Mumbai. "Normally crowded and filled with traffic, the businesses are all shut and there are very few cars on the road. People are definitely staying inside."

The hostage situation played out after a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that paralyzed much of southern Mumbai.

Reportedly among those held captive were Americans, British, Italians, Swedes, Canadians, Yemenis, New Zealanders and a Singaporean.

"The well-planned and well-orchestrated attacks, probably with external linkages, were intended to create a sense of terror by choosing high-profile targets," Prime Minister Singh today said in an address to the nation.

At least 10 different locations were hit in the series of coordinated attacks. Besides two of Mumbai's leading hotels, gunmen opened fire in the main train station, three hospitals and a cafe frequented by westerners.

Photos taken at Chhatrapati Shivaji rail station show scores of dead bodies lying on the terminal floor.

Witnesses at many of the locations reported that the gunmen, armed with AK-47 rifles and grenades, were between the ages of 20 and 25 years and were speaking in Hindi or Urdu.