FLAMES and a massive plume of smoke engulfed Mumbai's five-star Taj Mahal hotel, following an encounter between police and gunmen holding foreign guests hostage.
Flames were suddenly seen pouring out of the upper floors of the historic old wing of the hotel, where gunmen had held around a dozen guests hostage as part of a series of assaults against targets around the city that began late Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear what triggered the fire, which became visible after television footage showed what appeared to be some of the hostages being shepherded out of the building.
The Taj and another five-star hotel in the city, the Trident, had both been surrounded by heavily armed security personnel after they were attacked by separate groups of gunmen. At least 80 people have been killed and 250 injured in seven attacks in the city.
Teams of commandos were seen entering both hotels.
The Taj, next to the British colonial era Gateway of India monument, is one of the world's leading hotels and regularly attracts VIP visitors.
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