news details |
|
|
| Over 50 killed in Islamabad blast | | | ISLAMABAD, Sept 20: At least 50 people were killed and 100 injured in a massive explosion at the Marriott hotel which was gutted after a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the main gate of the five-star hotel in the heart of Pakistani capital.
ARY TV Channel reported that at least 40 people had died in one of the worst terror attacks in the history of Pakistan. The toll is likely to go up, police said.
Several floors of the hotel were seen on fire. The Hotel is popular among foreigners and several American Embassy officials were reported to be inside the hotel.
The powerful blast was heard from several kilometres away. The explosion destroyed numerous vehicles parked outside the hotel and uprooted trees.
The blast left a vast crater some 20 feet deep and 30 feet wide in front of the main building where flames leapt from the windows and rescuers ferried a stream of bloodied bodies from the gutted building.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was hosting an Iftar dinner at the nearby Prime Minister's Secretariat. The event was attended by President Asif Ali Zardari and Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. There was no reports of anyone being injured at the Prime Minister's Secretariat.
The President's House is located near the 290-room hotel which is a popular haunt among foreigners.
The blast was so powerful that the windowpanes of nearby buildings broke down. The blast was heard over a distance of a kilometre.
The explosion destroyed two dozen cars parked outside the hotel and uprooted trees and sparked a fire in the hotel. Several guests were also evacuated.
Television channels reported that several foreigners were among the victims.
Commandoes and police personnel cordoned off the site of the blast. TV channels beamed footage of passersby helping the injured into ambulances that rushed to the area.
The Marriott hotel was targeted earlier on January 26 last year, when a suicide bomber tried to storm the building hours before the Indian High Commissioner was to host a Republic Day reception
There were reports that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was hosting an Iftar dinner at the nearby Prime Minister's Secretariat. The event was attended by President Asif Ali Zardari and Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. No one was reportedly hurt within the Prime Minister's Secretariat.
Television channels reported that several foreigners were among the injured. Commandoes and police personnel cordoned off the site of the blast. TV channels beamed footage of passersby helping the injured into ambulances that rushed to the area.
Pakistan has faced a wave of militant violence, including suicide bombings, in recent months.
The Marriott hotel in Islamabad was targeted earlier on January 26 last year, when a suicide bomber tried to storm the building hours before the Indian High Commissioner was to host a Republic Day reception there.
The bomber and a security guard were killed and seven others injured in that attack. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
