A YOUNG traveller heard gunfire and an explosion as she escaped the Mumbai terror attacks, which killed at least 172 people.

Mo Grills, 27, daughter of former Stroud High headteacher Jo Grills, was in a bar with her boyfriend Ed Mitson, 28, only minutes before it was targeted by gunmen.

She was in India’s economic capital as the final stop of a journey back from New Zealand, where she had been working since March 2007.

Speaking to the SNJ from her hotel room in India, she said: "We’re very lucky to be alive, especially as we left the first bar that had been attacked.

"It was quite frightening but it didn’t sink in until the morning when I saw the newspapers and the media reports."

The attacks started last Wednesday at about 9.30am after the couple had enjoyed drinks in Café Leopold and were walking back to their hotel.

"We heard what sounded like gunfire and people started running down the street towards us shouting ‘firing’, ‘firing’," she said.

"All of the trinket stall holders were shutting up.

"We just bolted into a shoe shop as they were pulling the shutters down."

The couple, both former BBC journalists, stayed in the shop for about 20 minutes until the gunfire died away.

Café Leopold had been attacked by gunmen, causing many causalities.

"Then the manager of the shop went outside to look and he said he could see someone bleeding on the street who had obviously been shot," said Mo.

"After about 20 minutes, the traffic started moving again and some people were walking on the pavement."

The couple walked down some back streets towards the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, where a group of 20 people were being held hostage.

"As we got near there, crowds depleted again and people were running," she said.

"Then we got carried into a restaurant through the kitchen because the owners were saying it was not safe to go outside.

"We waited for about half an hour and all the people started leaving and as we walked behind the back of the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, I heard what I thought might’ve been an explosion."

The couple, who had also been in the train station only two nights before it was targeted, ran back to their hotel room.

Meanwhile in Minchinhampton, her mother Jo Grills, the county council’s director of learning and development, was watching the news with husband Malcolm.

"It was a bit of a shock seeing it unfolding on TV," she said.

"There was a great sense of hopelessness.

"We knew she couldn’t possibly be in the expensive hotels but as it was in the centre of the tourist area I was worried she would be there.

"We called the Foreign Office emergency number but couldn’t get through."

They finally went to bed at 2am and received a call from Mo at 5am.

"It was tremendous relief," she said.

"She was apologising for phoning so early not realising what a huge story it was."

Mo flew back to Britain on Friday and returned to her mother's home in Cirencester Road on Saturday.

* The chief minister of the Indian state of Maharashtra offered to resign on Monday amid criticism of the handling of the Mumbai attacks.