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Chicagoans Survive Mumbai Massacre Hid for hours in hotel rooms

Updated 12:56 PM CDT, Sat, Nov 29, 2008

Chicagoans who survived Mumbai Massacre tell of hiding in hotel rooms for hours during siege.

 

On Wednesday afternoon, Aneri Dalia got a call she had been anxiously waiting for.

"I could not stop crying for the first 15 minutes of the conversation," said Dalia whose family is from Lake Forest.

Her father, mother, sister, brother-in-law and their 15-month-old daughter were visiting relatives in Mumbai and were eating dinner at a hotel when they heard gunshots. 

The family hid in a nearby banquet hall as explosions rocked the hotel until they were able to escape through a fire door. 

"Not only does it hit home because it's where my parents grew up, it hits home because they were there," said Dalia.

Steve Ernsteen says his parents, Joe and Marilyn Ernsteen of Deerfield, were staying at the Taj Mahal Hotel where they stayed locked in their room for 10 hours until getting out safely through a fire escape.

Ernsteen said he didn't' know what was happening until he got a Thanksgiving email from his parents. 

Benjamin Mackoff and his wife, Carol, from Chicago, also locked themselves in their room at the Taj Mahal Hotel. They said they stayed quiet when they heard knocks at the door and stayed in touch with family through text messages.  Commandos finally freed the Mackoff's early Friday morning.

Comments (2)

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  • Zindadil Wednesday, Dec 3 at 9:23 PM FLAG COMMENT this is internal, the hindu fascist, Prgaya case mystrey Three Police officers killed for investigating the Pragya case. Indian army personnel caught collaborating with Pragya(BJP, RSS, Bajrang Dal, Sangh Parivar) Underworld was tired of the above police officers being very just, shoot at sight and these police officers did not take prisoners. Hence a collaboration. These elements got together and created a scene just to ... MORE >
  • Moe Saturday, Nov 29 at 7:51 AM FLAG COMMENT I was right. Benjamin Mackoff looked familier in the photos. He is former family court Judge Benjamin Mackoff. He was very smart keeping his identity at a low profile or he might not have gotten out of India.

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