Updated 11/27 2:09 PM EST
Mumbai’s night of terror has stretched on well into the afternoon of the following day, and India’s economic center remains under siege. Gunmen remain at large, battles are still ongoing at the city’s two major five star hotels (the Oberoi and the Taj), and as many as 50 hostages are reportedly still in the hands of attackers. Commandos in the hotel have reportedly encountered “stiff resistance” from the heavily armed militants.
The official death toll is presently at 125, and in all likelihood will continue to rise as the violence unfolds. Attacks have hit at least 10 sites around the city, from hotels, to hospitals, to railway terminals, cinemas and gas stations.
Four gunmen have reportedly seized a Jewish outreach center in the far south of the city, using a commandeered police vehicle in the attack. Indian commandos are gathered outside the center, but are not reported to have made any move yet.
Little is known as of yet about the attackers, though an unknown group calling itself Deccan Mujahideen has claimed credit. Witness have described the attackers as very young, and clad in T-shirts and jeans. The Indian Army’s General Office of Command believes that at least one of them is from Pakistan.
What motivated the attacks is still a matter of speculation, but the militants have apparently been singling out American and British citizens at the hotels. The attackers are reported to have arrived by sea in small boats launched from a larger vessel, which left after dropping them off, and told witnesses they were students.