One Australian has been killed in the Mumbai terrorist attacks and two others have been shot and wounded, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd confirmed on Thursday.
Rudd said the exact number of casualties was unclear and there could be more Australian casualties after the series of attacks by the terrorists in the largest Indian city on Wednesday.
"This is a terrible unfolding tragedy," he said in a statement, describing the situation in Mumbai as "chaotic on the ground".
Rudd joined a chorus of condemnation, as images of blood pooled on the floor at Mumbai's main Chhatrapati Shivaji railway station and at the five-star Taj Mahal and Oberoi Trident hotels filled news bulletins.
Meanwhile, family members hope a young Sydney woman who has had surgery after being shot through the leg could be flown home as early as this weekend. Her boyfriend, from Townsville, is also in hospital suffering flesh wounds from bullets that grazed his leg. He, too, is expected to return home within days, a report by Australian Associated Press said.
The Australian government is attempting to contact all 300 Australians registered as traveling in Mumbai. Australia's largest flight company Qantas confirmed its flight to Mumbai on Friday and said it stands ready to help evacuate Australians from India.
(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2008)
