Irishwoman tells of 'very lucky' escape as terrorists attack
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Friday November 28 2008
AN Irishwoman told yesterday how she was trapped in one of the Mumbai siege hotels for eight hours after terrorists attacked.
Geraldine Larkin, a textile designer from Edenderry, Co Offaly, was one of at least 18 Irish people visiting Mumbai when suspected Islamist terrorists attacked hotels, hospitals and train stations.
Twelve students from Colaiste Choilm in Tullamore, Co Offaly, three teachers and two Trinity College Dublin students were also in the city and were "shaken" after their ordeal on Wednesday night.
Tanaiste Mary Coughlan, currently in Dubai on a trade mission, was due to meet the group in Abu Dhabi today.
Geraldine, a mother of one, whose husband is from Mumbai, had been staying in the five-star Taj Mahal Hotel on business when gunmen stormed the building.
She told the Irish Independent that staff at the hotel helped her and a group of others into the kitchen after terrorists entered the lobby. They were then guided into a restaurant, and the doors locked and blocked with a grand piano.
"It started sometime between 9pm and 9.30pm local time, and we managed to get out at about five in the morning. We could hear the grenades and the gunshots," she said.
"It was so extraordinary and terrifying . . . to understand what happened is very hard. The staff looked after us so well, and it's awful to hear one of the managers of the hotel was killed. It's hard to think about that. I was very, very lucky.
Eventually, the terrified guests were led out as the siege still raged. "The army came and the staff guided us out of the hotel. I didn't look around, I was in shock," said Geraldine.
Yesterday, her family expressed relief that she escaped uninjured. Her brother Patrick Larkin said the pictures on the television were "unreal". "It was unbearable, especially for mum and dad. They were just devastated."
Cut off
Initially, the visitors were unable to use their phones as lines were dead and there was no mobile signal. But Geraldine was able make contact with her family after a few hours.
Meanwhile, the group of students and teachers who travelled to Mumbai as part of the Christian Brothers India Immersion Project 2008 to help the poor are safe but "shaken".
They had been to Cafe Leopold, one of the tourist restaurants targeted by terrorists, and the Taj Mahal hotel.
"The principal, Colin Roddy, texted last night at 6pm (Irish time -- an hour after the attacks started) to say everyone was safe," he added.
Foreign Affairs Minister Michael Martin expressed condolences to Indian Ambassador PS Raghavan in a phone call.
"I wanted to assure him of our sympathy and prayers," he said, adding that a crisis centre would be set up at the Irish consulate in Mumbai. Anyone worried about relatives should phone the Department of Foreign Affairs on (01) 4780822.
- Eimear Ni Bhraonain
