Indian commandos are storming a Jewish centre in Mumbai, where gunmen are holding a number of people hostage.

Troops abseiled from a helicopter into the building, as a ground assault was launched. Gunfire was later heard. Security forces are still clearing gunmen from two luxury hotels, after Wednesday's attacks that killed more than 130 people and injured 300. The army says it is close to taking control of the Oberoi Trident hotel, after freeing at least 30 hostages. Media reports say that the majority of those rescued were foreigners. Meanwhile, security forces are still moving room to room at the Taj Mahal Palace. An army commander said nearly all guests and staff had been evacuated and that the security operation would be "wrapped up in a few hours" But a BBC correspondent outside the hotel said he had recently heard a series of explosions and an exchange of gunfire.

At first light helicopters swooped over the Nariman House business and residential complex in south Mumbai, which houses the Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch. Commandos initially dropped "thunder flashes" or smoke bombs to create confusion and then several troops abseiled down ropes to secure the roof. The BBC's David Loyn say they have been tentatively moving down through the building trying not to cause casualties among the hostages. Earlier, a woman and child were seen leaving the building, but it was unclear whether they had managed to escape or were released. The child was identified as the two-year-old son of Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holzberg, the main representative at the ultra-orthodox outreach centre. There was no word on the rabbi's fate. In a separate development, the Indian navy has taken control of two Pakistani merchant navy ships and is questioning their crews after witnesses said some of the militants came ashore on small speed boats.

Conflicting clues

Gunmen armed with automatic weapons and grenades targeted at least seven sites in Mumbai late on Wednesday, opening fire indiscriminately on crowds at a major railway station, the two hotels, the Jewish centre, a hospital and a cafe frequented by foreigners.