Fears for 26 Australians in Mumbai hotels
A Report by Paola Totaro, London in The Age this morning says that up to 26 Australians may be holed up in the two stricken hotels in Mumbai and cannot yet be accounted for, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith has confirmed.
Speaking at an emergency press conference at the Australian High Commission in London a short time ago, Mr Smith said he had spoken just minutes before to the Indian Minister for External Affairs, Mr Mukherjee, and had confirmed the death of one Australian and while he could not confirm the death of a second, information at hand suggested “grave concerns”.
He said the situation made it very difficult to be precise as Minister Mukherjee had made clear that “events were continuing to unfold”: “We fear that as many as 25 or 26 Australians could be in the hotels. We do know that a number of Australians have got out of the hotels a small number. So it is very difficult to be precise, he said.
“The most distressing thing is that we are not in a position to vouchsafe for the safety and security of Australian nationals. That’s a matter of very deep concern for us and we hope that as events unfold that those Australians will ultimately be shown to be safe and secure.
Mr Smith said the situation was particularly difficult in the wake of information that suggested hostages have been taken and gunmen remain in various sites.
“For any nation this would be a difficult situation but we have confidence in the Indian authorities to do their best to bring the matter to a conclusion.” “And Minister Mukherjee was at pains to indicate that they understand that one of the things they need and want to bear uppermost in minds as they proceed is the safety and security of what Minister Mukherjee described as the innocent victims in the hotel.”
Hundreds of people are believed to still be trapped at the Oberoi-Trident and Taj Mahal Palace, the hotels hit by the cluster of terrorist gunmen who are now believed to have killed at least 110 people and injured 300 others.
Mr Smith said he had also just spoken to the Australian High Commissioner to India, Mr John MacCarthy, who coincidentally had been in Mumbai during the attacks.
He said Mr McCarthy had now visited all hospitals “under extreme circumstances” and had ascertained that there are no Australians being treated in city hospitals.
Mr Smith said signaled that Minister Mukherjee had signalled indicated that Indian authorities, through their police and military forces, were “proposing to take steps to bring the situation to a conclusion”:
“[He] indicated that in the course of whatever action they undertook the safety and security of innocent Australians, innocent foreign and innocent bystanders would be uppermost in the minds of the Indian authorities taking these actions,”
“So, a terrible situation.” “We very much send our condolences to India and also to the family members of the deceased Australian.” “We fear for another casualty and hope for the safety and security of those Australians who we fear remain in the hotels.”
A Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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