PM Rudd says 36 Australians still missing in Mumbai

Canberra, Nov.28 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said tonight that he was "deeply concerned" about the well-being of 36 missing Australians in Mumbai.

A Herald Sun report said that Rudd has cancelled plans to attend a gala fundraising dinner in Sydney tonight to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his election as Prime Minister.

He opted to stay in Canberra for a meeting this evening of the Cabinet's National Security Committee to monitor events in Mumbai.

Rudd said there were about 70 Australians in the area at the time of the attacks and 36 Australians had not been accounted for.

"I'm deeply concerned for the wellbeing of our fellow Australians who we can't track down yet. As I said in Parliament, I fear these (death toll) numbers may rise. But, we are doing everything we can to confirm the whereabouts of these 36, and we will continue to do so," he said in Canberra.

"We are still seeking to confirm contact with some 36 people and we are working our way through that. It is a difficult situation, it is very fluid. We, through our consular staff, however, are doing everything possible to establish the whereabouts of those 36."

Rudd said government officials on the ground in Mumbai was trying to make contact with the missing Australians.

"Now this is a precautionary measure against the information that we have. In terms of fatalities, we can confirm one, and there have been reports of a second, which has been the subject of a separate statement by the family."

ANI