Mumbai

Indian Hotels Co Ltd, which owns the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, expects to rebuild the iconic hotel "inch by inch", vice-chairman RK Krishna Kumar said on Thursday.

The first attack at the Taj Mahal Palace took place in the heritage wing of the hotel. The dome was severely damaged. The south block and some part of the northern area has also been damaged. The hotel has also lost a large number of its staff, including five chefs, in the attack, Kumar said.

Kumar said the hotel looked like a battle zone. The Taj Mahal Palace, he said, is a symbol of resurgent India and that is why it was attacked.

Later in the day, expressing concern at the damage caused, Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata said the city lacks crisis management infrastructure. Tata said the hotel staff would be compensated amply. "We feel rather helpless. We are out of the property... We will do whatever we can. We will not be stingy and will reward and compensate the staff for the hardships."

• Buffeted by visions of death, bartender quit job at Taj
• IBN-Lokmat attack: CM Ashok Chavan assures action
• IBN-Lokmat attack: Sena MP Sanjay Raut's kin wanted
• 'Driven' by social cause, cartoonist gives road safety tips
• FDA seizes energy drinks worth more than Rs1 crore