The central government is shocked by the nature of the Mumbai terror attack on Wednesday night, stated to be the first-of-its kind.
The Congress too has been rattled by the incident.
"This is the most daring and a very, very serious attack," said a Cabinet minister in the United Progressive Alliance government.
The situation is no less than a war, feels a senior Congress party member. According to him, terrorists had specifically targeted American nationals in one of their operations.
He told rediff.com that a fear of further attacks loomed large over two Mumbai hospitals, a fact which is worrying the government. Meanwhile, more than 65 army and 200 National Security Guard commandos have set off for Mumbai.
In New Delhi [Images], Opposition leader L K Advani has called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images].