Gunmen have opened fire at a number of sites in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay), killing at least 80 people and injuring about 200 more.

Police said shooting was continuing and that the incidents were co-ordinated terrorist attacks. Gunmen have taken hostages at two hotels and a hospital.

At least seven sites have been targeted across India's financial capital.

A fire is sweeping through the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai's most famous hotel which is now ringed by troops.

The BBC's Andrew Whitehead says a claim of responsibility by a little-known group, Deccan Mujahideen, may harden su****ions that Islamic radicals are involved.

But there are other possible culprits, our correspondent says.

The motive is far from clear - but the attacks come amid elections in several Indian states, including in disputed Kashmir.

In the latest developments:

Commandos have surrounded two hotels, the Taj Mahal Palace and the Oberoi, where gunmen are reported to be holding dozens of hostages, including foreigners
Police say an explosion heard inside the Oberoi was from a hand grenade, and flames and a massive plume of smoke are billowing from the Taj Mahal hotel
The head of Mumbai's anti-terrorism unit and two other senior officers are among those killed, according to local TV
A witness told local television that the gunmen were looking for people with British or US passports
The US and the UK have both condemned the attacks and Washington says it is "assessing the hostage situation"
Gunmen opened fire at about 2300 local time at sites in southern Mumbai including a train station, two five-star hotels, a hospital and a restaurant popular with tourists.

Police said the gunmen had fired indiscriminately.

"The terrorists have used automatic weapons and in some places grenades have been lobbed," said AN Roy, police commissioner of Maharashtra state.

At least 10 people were killed at the main station Chhatrapati Shivaji railway station, they said.

Some gunmen were still holed up in buildings that had been targeted, officials said.

Mr Roy said gunmen were holding people hostage at the Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi hotels.

Local TV images showed blood-splattered streets, bodies being taken into ambulances and dramatic shots of what appeared to fresh blasts inside the Taj Mahal hotel.

One eyewitness told the BBC he had seen a gunman opening fire in the Taj Mahal's lobby.

He said he had seen people fall before he fled the lobby.

"All I saw was one man on foot carrying a machine gun type of weapon - which I then saw him firing from and I saw people hitting the floor, people right next to me," he said.

There has been a wave of bombings in Indian cities in recent months which has left scores of people dead.

Most of the attacks have been blamed on Muslim militants, although police have also arrested suspected Hindu extremists.

A series of attacks in Mumbai in July 2006 killed almost 190 people and injured more than 700.

Bombs were detonated on commuter trains during rush hour.

Police accused Pakistan's intelligence agency of planning the attacks, which they said were carried out by an Islamist militant group, Lashkar-e-Toiba.

Pakistan rejected the allegation, saying there was no evidence that its intelligence staff were involved.

The shootings come at a time when ties between India and Pakistan have improved, and days after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari told a summit in Delhi that Pakistan would not be first to carry out a missile strike on India.

The two countries have a joint anti-terror mechanism whereby they are supposed to share information on terrorist attacks.

I sawa pic of a supposed terrorist and he looked fully laden, like they were after maximum carnage

My sympathies go to the bereaved and the people of Bombay/ India

film1

film2

Looks and sounds like its a very well planned operation by these militants very coordinated...My brother has stayed in the Taj hotel before...I hope the indian forces can sort the hostage situation out without further inocent bloodshed...sounds like a job for very well trained SFs to me...Im not very well informed about Indian SFs....The SAS would be rubbing their hands

The English cricket team were staying there last week...
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One eyewitness on the BBC this morning stated that they were looking for British and American passport holders to take as hostages...Im waiting for the Indians to blame the Pakistanis....thats the course they went down last time they were struck

RIP to those who have lost their lives in these attacks...and may the hostages be returned to their families alive and well

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Hi Ho Hi Ho

There are mixed reports of what language the terrorists were speaking. Some are saying it's a Pakistani dialect, others are saying it was Hindu.

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Humans, a renewable resource?
Bumble Bees Die to sting you

you know.. we dont really speak those languages..
so we shall see how many of the victims are from the
from nordic countries... this **** needs to stop.

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and dont get me wrong... more force to Afghaniztan.

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I watched the Indian commandos go in on the news earlier....Theres rumours in the Indian Press that some of the militants were/are ?British nationals of Pakistani origins

Great that is isnt it....another great message sent to world about us brits....what a brush to tare us guys with...If the rumours are true I think its another well made point about changing our stance in homeland politics and our stance towards British cits of non British decent

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Hi Ho Hi Ho

I've never regarded them as British, they're just a menace. They're nothing like us at all!

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"If you're going through hell, keep going". Winston Churchill

There are no Brits involved. Its all just designed to spread false information. There are however some dead and injured Brits.

I don't think an attack like this with assault rifles etc could happen in the UK, what do you guys think?

The 7/7 bombings were home made explosives because assualt rifles are more difficult to acquire (not impossible) and the acquiring of these items would be alot more easy to track..........