Paul Bean, 48, a managing director for a brand design and graphics company, was snapped as he climbed out of a window on to a ladder at the five-star hotel as the terror attacks raged on.

His petrified wife, Linda, told how her husband of 27 years rang her just after the massacre unfolded but talked in whispered tones
and got cut off around 7.50pm GMT on Wednesday night.

But Linda, 47, and the couple's children Leanne, 24, and Richard, 20, faced an agonising 14-and-a-half hour wait before Paul confirmed he had escaped the hellhole.

Linda, who said Paul was in Mumbai on business for his company Sun-Branding Solutions, told how she was left in limbo after he made the terrifying call.

Linda, of Wakefield, said: 'I got a strange call from him where all I could hear was whispering literally for just a few seconds. Then all of a sudden he couldn't speak to me and the phone got cut off.

'We were not aware of what was happening at the time so my initial reaction was that it was out of character for Paul but was just a strange phonecall.'

But another call came in from Paul's work colleague who told them about the earth-shattering news. Linda, who by that stage started following the harrowing events on TV, then found out her husband was hiding under a table in the restaurant of the hotel with two colleagues as bullets and shells went off around them.

She said: 'Until we heard from Paul again it was absolutely horrendous. We felt helpless because he couldn't contact us because of the situation. Then we saw the fire break out and immediately became concerned that he might have been trapped.'

After over four hours of anxious worrying, Paul finally managed to get through to his wife ' who had kept her line constantly engaged by ringing emergency numbers for families.

Linda said: 'He was in total shock because it was chaotic. He had been rescued by that point after hiding flat on his front under a table for about six hours.

'He told us it had all kicked about 9pm Mumbai time when he was in the
restaurant. People started throwing hand grenades down the stairwells ' one of them shattering the glass doors in the restaurant.

'He had hidden there until rescuers put up a ladder to the restaurant window and he climbed out.'

Relieved daughter Leanne said: 'When they got out they didn't know what to do, it was just chaos and there didn't seem to be anyone around to give advice. But at least he was alive and safe.'

Linda then received a further call at 2am GMT where she heard bullets flying around in the background.

'It was so vivid,' she said. 'He was having a conversation and the next minute shots were being fired. He was panicking and it was all very surreal ' it was like something out of Fonejacker.'

But the turmoil for Linda didn't end until 6am this (THU) morning when Paul phoned again to tell her he had managed to find a car and make it to the Taj's sister hotel.

She said: 'From the moment it happened he sounded extremely shocked and I still think he will be. He hasn't told me everything that has appened and probably won't do until he gets home.

'He has no phone, no laptop, no passport and no clothes so at the moment he is trying to sort out how he is going to get home, although I think he is finding it hard to concentrate having not eaten since before it happened.'

Paul is due back in Britain on Sunday, providing he can be given a temporary passport ' which the Deputy High Commissioner is currently working on for him.

Linda added: 'Obviously we are relieved but at the moment anything can happen in any part of India so we won't be satisfied until he arrives home.'