MikeLigalig.com

Published by Sunday Post

Boholanos are indeed everywhere and the coordinated attacks by militant gunmen in Mumbai, India were no exception.

This Boholano from Taguihon, Baclayon—Meliton Iyog, was lucky he was not one of the more than 150 fatalities in India’s worst terror attacks. Although he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, Iyog, 42,  was lucky to have survived when he was one of the those 300 rescued after they checked in at the embattled Taj Mahal Hotel in downtown Mumbai

According to the account of his wife, the former Cely Alagon, her husband left Manila last Noivember 26 enroute to Bangkok, Thailand.

But since another violent incident took place at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok after it was blocked by angry demonstrators, the plane he was boarding from Manila was diverted to Singapore.

He was to take the flight from Singapore to Mumbai when the attacks on two hotels, a Jewish center and several sites happened.

From the Mumbai airport, they were hustled to the Taj Hotel. Then the shooting began with Iyog and other  guests holed up in the hotel which was subjected to armed confrontation by terrorists.   

Iyog was with two other Filipinos, one from Davao, the other from Quezon province when they were trapped inside the hotel while gunmen placed the hotel under siege.

As of last report, some 160 civilians, police and military including five Americans perished in the attack in what was believed to be perpetrated by armed militants tied to Pakistani Islamic elements. The casualty toll also included 372 wounded.

In the case of the Boholano survivor who scampered to safety along with 300 other hotel guests, he was supposed to board his vessel from Mumbai enroute to an unknown destination. Iyog’s wife did not know her husband’s

itinerary only that she was informed that he has to board it in Mumbai. His two companions are his shipmates.

The wife of the Mumbai survivor also narrated that for the past 16 years he had used the Mumbai port as jump off point since becoming a seaman in 1992. It was only last week that he was caught in the crossfire of what was billed as the worst terror attack in India. Mumbai is India’s biggest city and considered as the country’s financial center.

For almost 60 tense hours since late Wednesday, a team of 60 well-trained terrorists launched a meticulously planned set of attacks on Mumbai. The reign of terror left a death toll of 160, more than 300 wounded in a hail of automatic gunfire that ended yesterday. Three attackers were killed by Indian authorities.

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