Mumbai Sequence

Sequence of events: Taj hotel

Wednesday, 11 pm: Firing around Colaba, terrorists arrive inside Taj hotel, Gateway of India.

12 midnight: Firing of hand grenades inside Taj Hotel, police gheraos the hotel, ready to shoot on order, area cordoned off.

Thursday, 1 am: Massive blast inside the central dome of the Taj Palace hotel, flames around the structure, smoke cloud lift up to the sky, two rounds of hand grenades.

2 am: One round of hand grenade thrown outside the window from Taj's heritage wing to the park infront of the Gateway; police ready to fire and enter in big numbers inside the hotel.

2:30 am: Army deployed, two trucks full arrive and enter hotel lobby and outside. Media asked to move back by 100 metres. Fire spreads across top floor of Taj heritage wing.

2:45 am: Some people exit from kitchen fire exit and are taken from the new wing of Taj to the back exit to leave, guided by police.

3:00 am: Fire engines arrive, police sirens go off. Shooting and gunfiring heard inside lobby and heritage building. Fire spreads quickly to the left dome of the hotel, engulfs entire column in flames.

3:30 am: People scream from inside the heritage building as fire spreads. People seen at windows howling for help. Fire engines start rescue, try putting out fire on top floor with water sprays.

3:45 am: Fire engine ladders pull out people from windows while simultaneously trying to get the fire doused. People are slowly brought down as firemen run with search torches, break windows to pull people out.

4:00 am: Men, women climb down, howling as they are rescued. Most of them say they were told to stay in their rooms. Some of them had seen the terrorists shooting around. Most of them come down shocked by smoke and firing. Ambulances take them to nearby hospitals.

4:30 am: Another bout of big firing inside hotel. Action shifts from left heritage site where the fire continues to spread quickly to middle of the hotel as terrorists run from the centre dome to the new tower.

5 am: Solid rounds of firing, police step up heat with commandos and bomb squads arriving. Public told to move away. Fire engines continue rescue as people are brought down. Fire flames right again, both central and left dome in fire again.

5:30 am: Fire appears under control, but terrorists holed up in new tower in the exclusive club of Taj called Chambers. 100-150 locked in there, most influential corporates, businessman, policy makers at the venue. People kept hostage.

6:00 am: Police, navy, army forces take control and say they are ready for encounter. Firing across the building. Windows are broken. Personnel gherao Gateway and top floors of Taj with sniper guns.

7:00 am: Policemen spread across the floor on the ground of the Gateway of India. Another round of firing.

8:00 am: People are brought out to the lobby, some people told to duck down behind scaffolding as a new round of firing takes place between terrorists and the police outside the main porch.

8:30 am: Another 50 people are brought out of the Taj club called Chambers and taken slowly by the police in Best buses, to evacuate them.

9 am: More rounds of firing, many more people stuck inside.

10 am: Police almost finishes encounter, until one more round of firing happens.

11 am: Many people are taken on stretchers outside in critical care vans, some alive, some injured and some dead.

6:00 pm: Three fresh explosions have been reported at the Taj hotel in Mumbai on Thursday and rescue operations are on.

7:00 pm: Fire flared up at hotel Taj Mahal Palace for the third time, with huge flames leaping up from the roof of the heritage old wing of the building.

7:20 pm: Police says one terrorist alive inside Taj and firing at commandos.

On Friday, combat teams, paramilitary forces and the terrorists opened fire three times in one hour.

The NSG commandos launched their final assault at the Taj Mahal hotel on Saturday. Everyone took position and the terrorist encounter is still continuing. The police is saying there one or two terrorists still holed up at the Crystal Ballroom in the hotel.

Some people were evacuated on Friday. The lobby and porch were the key points of attack as police gherao that.

In the wee hours of Saturday, fresh explosions were heard at the heritage hotel. The NSG commandos started a fire in the hotel to smoke out terrorists.

Two of the hotel staffs were rescued on Saturday. One commando was killed in the operation.

Some hand grenades and AK-47s were recovered from the terrorists.

The NSG has said that they have the control over the hotel, but the operation will be over only when all rooms are sanitised.

Saturday, 2 pm: All terrorists have been killed. Meanwhile, the NSG is sanitising all the rooms.