Dozens Reported Dead in Huge Blast at Pakistan Hotel

Saturday , September 20, 2008

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan —
A huge explosion tore through the heavily guarded Marriott Hotel in Pakistan's capital Saturday, with some reports of at least 40 dead, a number that is expected to rise.

At least three floors of the hotel are on fire, and a room on the top floor is engulfed in flames. The location of the blast is believed to be near the entrance of the hotel.

The Marriott in Islamabad is a favorite place for foreigners to stay and socialize, and it has previously been targeted by militants.

Pakistani TV reports at least 18 are dead. An Associated Press reporter counted at least nine bodies scattered at the scene. Scores of people, including foreigners, were running out -- some of them stained with blood.

Ahmad Latif, a senior police official, said it was one of the biggest terrorist strikes in Pakistan history.

The blast left a vast crater some 30 feet deep in front of the main building, where flames poured from the windows and rescuers ferried a stream of bloodied bodies from the gutted building.

Ambulances rushed to the area, smoke hovered and the carcasses of vehicles were thrown about. Windows in buildings hundreds of meters away were shattered.

The blast occured at a time when those observing Ramadan are able to eat and drink after a day of fasting. During this time the streets are full of cars and people.

A security guard at the scene, Mohammad Nasir, said he saw a large truck that suddenly caught fire on its front before suddenly exploding.

"It was a big bang," he said.

Ambulances rushed to the area, where a fire burned, smoke hovered and the carcasses of vehicles were thrown about. Windows in buildings hundreds of meters away were shattered.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

Mohammad Sultan, a hotel employee, said he was in the lobby when something exploded, he fell down and everything temporarily went dark.

"I don't understand what it was, but it was like the world is finished," he said.

Pakistan, a U.S. ally in the war on terror, has faced a wave of militant violence in recent weeks following army-led offensives against insurgents in its border regions, though the capital has avoided most of the bloodshed.

In January 2007, a security guard blocked a suicide bomber who triggered a blast just outside the Marriott, killing the guard and wounding seven other people.

FOX News's Scott Heidler and the Associated Press contributed to this report.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,425676,00.html