Terror victim talked to BBC before death

A British millionaire slain by Mumbai terrorists telephoned the BBC to tell of his ordeal at the Taj Mahal hotel hours before he was killed, observers say.

Andreas Liveras, 73, the only Briton confirmed to have been killed in terror attacks on the landmark hotel and other sites in Mumbai, had told BBC listeners Thursday that the hotel was shaking as bombs went off and automatic weapons were being fired near his room, The Times of London reported.

Hotel staff are helping us a lot, providing water and sandwiches -- but nobody is eating really, people are frightened, Liveras told the BBC. At this moment it's very quiet. The last bomb exploded about 45 minutes ago and it shook the hotel up. Nobody comes in this room and nobody goes out.

Several hours after his report, Liveras, a British yachting tycoon who emigrated from Cyprus to London in 1963, was reported dead of multiple gunshot wounds by officials at St George's hospital, the newspaper said.

Theophanis Liveras, the victim's brother, told The Times that terrorists separated British and American passport holders, and just hours earlier, Liveras had called his son to say that he was safe.

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