Mumbai, July 18 - Visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was Saturday 'deeply touched' to meet the staff of two luxury hotels here that were targeted by 10 heavily armed Pakistani terrorists last November and expressed her gratitude to the 'great men and women' who helped save lives during the assault that lasted over 60 hours.

'I was deeply touched to meet the staff of the Taj and Oberoi hotels this morning,' Clinton said at a press conference at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel after attending a function in the memory of the victims of the assault that left over 170 people dead. Twenty-six foreigners, including six Americans, were among those killed.

Clinton, who arrived here Friday night on her first visit to India after assuming office, met the survivors and family members of those who died in the Taj hotel. She also met the hotel's general manager Karimbir Kang, whose wife and two children were killed in the assault, as also 12 employees who survived the attack.

'This hotel and this city suffered grievously and endured pain because of the extremists and violence. The great men and women who worked in this hotel courageously stood in times of violence, helped save lives. They deserve our gratitude,' said Clinton.

Dressed in a bright red business suit, Clinton was escorted by Kang around the century-old heritage hotel, parts of which were set ablaze by the terrorists during the Nov 26-29, 2008 attack.