Killed Brit tycoon's family says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time Home
30 Nov 2008, 0948 Hrs

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London, Nov.30 Businessman Andreas Liveras, the only known British fatality of the Mumbai terror attack, has been described by his family as an extremely courageous man who would never bow to the demands of terrorists, and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Liveras, a self-made businessman, was sprayed with gunfire as he hid with other guests inside Mumbai's Taj Mahal Hotel.

Dion Liveras, the victim's son, told The Sunday Telegraph: "My father had the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even now, we find it beyond belief that he went out for a quiet meal - and lost his life."

Liveras, 73, had been staying on one of his yachts in Mumbai harbour and had gone to the hotel restaurant for dinner with three members of his staff after finishing with a shopping spree in the city.

Dion said: "My father told us that within minutes of ordering their meal, the bullets started flying and the grenades had gone off. While he was in the hotel, he had been able to contact us all by telephone and by text. All the time, he was reassuring us that he was OK, but we were waiting to hear he had got out safely.

"We knew that he had been taken from the restaurant, through the kitchen and to the basement - and then on to another room. There were a lot of people milling about. Typically, my father remained calm throughout his ordeal. He was fearless man...He had done things that most people would be afraid to do," added Dion.

"Eventually, however, the gunmen got into the room where my father was and sprayed bullets. He was fatally injured and died from multiple wounds," Dion said.

The family suspect that Liveras's courage may have contributed to his death.

"He would put the safety of his staff before his own. He would not bow down, or crawl and hide, in the face of these people [the terrorists]. I think that is why he got it [the bullets] first," said his son.

"We are all immensely proud of him. We adored him and we are devastated by his death. He was a generous, happy person who was popular and well-liked. He had a real passion for his family and his yachting business," he said. (ANI)