As mainstream media outlets struggled to contend with the enormity of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, citizen journalists were already on the scene filing a constant stream of reports and images from the ground.

Every moment of the attacks has been documented in harrowing detail on Twitter, with new messages published from mobile phones every second as people described the scenes around them.

Instead of switching on the television, many followed the action live on Twitter by searching the site for Mumbai, Bombay and #Mumbai. Twitter reports reportedly appeared hours before the first TV stories.