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Local Indian-Americans React To Mumbai

By Katie DeLong

MILWAUKEE - A team of FBI agents was sent to India Friday to help investigate the terrorists behind the attacks in Mumbai. The 10 attacks have killed at least five Americans. At least two other Americans were injured. The State Department says U.S. citizens remain in peril. Americans are being urged to stay out of Mumbai at least through the weekend. For Milwaukeeans from the Mumbai area, or with family in the area, the past few days have been terrifying. Milwaukee does not have a particularly large Indian community, but they are very close knit, and when one family is hurting, they all hurt. Dinesh Sanghavi is putting his best face forward, but his heart is heavy. Sanghavi is from the embattled city of Mumbai. His family is still there and he is intimately familiar with one of the hotels that was attacked. "It breaks my heart. My feelings are there. That's where I got married, so a lot of memories there,” Sanghavi said. Dominic Rabello is also from Mumbai. He says seeing streets he walked as a boy now there littered with bodies, is overwhelming. "I spoke to my relatives. They are all fine, but they are all very disturbed of this incident. It's really scary. When we watch on TV, the firings, we get scared,” Rabello said. Manjit Sindh runs “Taste of India” restaurant. "I was really shocked when I see all the fires going on, all the fighting going on. It's really bad,” Sindh said. For Indian Americans who have relatives in Mumbai, the relief that family is okay is being replaced by the fear that their nation may not be. "I guess most of what we can do is pray that nothing like this happens again," Sanghavi said.