Dubai: Indian expatriates from Mumbai on Thursday said they hardly slept a wink after watching the news of terror unleashed in the commercial capital of India.

Many said they struggled to get through to their family members as land and mobile telephone lines were jammed. Some even logged on to social networking sites to keep track of their families and friends.

Ganesh Kulkarni, a Dubai resident, said: "My cousin works in the Oberoi hotel and I was unable to get through to him. His parents in Mumbai were unable to get through to him and so they called me instead and asked me to telephone him from Dubai.

"We were all in a panic as news was pouring in that terrorists had entered the Oberoi hotel," he said.

Kulkarni finally got in touch with his cousin at about 1.45am UAE time and was relieved to know that all was well with him.

"Fortunately, he had just stepped out of the hotel to meet someone across the road and that was when the firing started. He was fortunate to have escaped the hostage situation," said Kulkarni.

Vinita Ghorpade, a Sharjah-based Indian, said she got a scare when she got no response after calling up her home located in Masjid, close to the Chatrapathi Shivaji railway terminus, which was the scene of a gruesome attack.

"When I did not get them on the telephone I just panicked and was in tears. I then called my aunt who lives in Wadala and found them there. I was so relieved. As the situation was getting tense in an around the terminus, my parents and sister decided to spend the night with my aunt," said Ghorpade.

Manish Shah, another Dubai resident, said: "I just logged on to Facebook and posted a message to my cousins who are spread across Mumbai. We all log on to Facebook every evening and catch up with the latest in our lives. All of them replied back. I was glad they were safe,"

Mariam Khalid, a Dubai-based Palestinian, said she was deeply saddened to see smoke billowing from the Taj Mahal hotel where she had stayed while she visited India to attend a friend's wedding.

She said: "I was part of the beautiful culture of the city during a brief visit to attend a friend's wedding. We were staying at the Taj Mahal hotel and I still remember the scenic view of the Gateway of India from our room.

"Distinguishing features of the historic building of the Taj, the warm hospitality and obviously crowded roads surrounding the hotel will never depart from the memories of my Mumbai trip."

UAE's reaction

The UAE has strongly condemned the series of terror attacks which rocked Mumbai, India's commercial capital, on Wednesday night, killing and wounding scores of people.

"The UAE, while condemning this brutal and appalling crime, affirms its complete solidarity with the government of India and standing with its side in confronting and overcoming these criminal acts," Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, said in a statement on Thursday.

Shaikh Abdullah offered his sympathies to the families of the victims and the wounded and wished speedy recovery to those injured in the attacks.

Meanwhile, a UAE Foreign Ministry source said the UAE Consulate General in Mumbai is maintaining continuous contacts with UAE citizens there and that it has set up an around the clock communication centre to follow up their condition.

No information has been available so far about injury of any UAE citizen, the source said.

"The Consulate General will pursue its contacts with UAE citizens there and update the Foreign Ministry with any new developments," he added.