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Nov 27, 2008 7:25 pm US/Central
N. Texas Families Worried About Relatives In India
Marianne Martinez
NORTH TEXAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
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Indian media representatives and bystanders react as gunshots ring out from within The Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai on Nov. 27, 2008.
Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images
The situation remains chaotic - that's the bottom line from the U.S. State Department in the wake of 10 separate terrorist attacks that rocked Mumbai, India Wednesday.
Gunfire and explosions could be heard well into the night at two luxury hotels and an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish outreach center. Throughout the day, commandoes have been bringing hostages, trapped guests, and corpses from the hotels.
The death toll from the attacks is now at least 119. At least three Americans are among the nearly 300 wounded, but that number could grow.
A group calling itself the "Deccan Mujahideen" is claiming responsibility.
Even though Mumbai is thousands of miles from North Texas, there are families here with very close ties. CBS 11 News spoke with one family that spent what seemed like an eternity worrying about their loved ones.
For hours, the Jani family watched the news, wondering if their loved ones in Mumbai were safe. Ranna Jani's brother-in-law, who lives in Fort Worth, has been in Mumbai since last month. He usually stays at the Taj Mahal Hotel, which was under siege.
"Yesterday my husband told me he was not in that hotel, so we know that much," Ranna said with relief. "But, his gallery was right next to Hotel Oberoi, which was a hotel that was hit."
The Jani family tried to call, but couldn't get through. Thanksgiving morning they got word from another family member that their relative was safe.
"It was definitely worrying because you don't know what was going on. You couldn't contact anybody. It's also the middle of the night over there," Alap Jani explained.
The Jani family also has dozens of other extended family member and friends in and near Mumbai. It wasn't until this morning that family here in North Texas learned their loved ones in India were safe.
Still, it's been difficult to see the images on news stations. "Some of these pictures are just horrible to look at and horrible to watch," Alap Jani said with frustration. "It's just unbelievable just how much it destroyed everything."
Now, the Jani family will pray for the victims and their families… for the ones who didn't get the good news they did.
Friday, the Jani family will attend a prayer service to for all of the victims and their families at the DFW Hindu Temple in Irving.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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