Terror In Islamabad

In one of the worst terror attacks in the history of Pakistan, at least 60 people were reported killed and 100 injured in a massive explosion at the Marriott hotelin Islamabad, 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.

Several witnesses said a large truck had driven towards the hotel gate before exploding. There were also reports that an explosive laden car was in front of the truck that rammed into the hotel gate.Witnesses spoke of a smaller blast followed by a much larger one.

Given the severity of the attack, the toll is likely to go up.

Many of the injured were struck by debris within the hotel, sustaining broken limbs and other serious injuries. Rescue workers rushed people out of the hotel, most of which which was evacuated before the fire swept through all its floors.

Fire fighters tried in vain to extinguish the blaze but were unable to prevent it from spreading rapidly.Police said several people remained trapped in the hotel building which had turned out into an inferno.A Danish diplomat and three American nationals were among the injured, officialssaid.

Commandos of the Anti-Terrorist Squad and policemen cordoned off the roads leading to the hotel as investigators scoured the site for clues.

Smoke and flames billowed from the hotel more than two hours after the blast as ambulances continued to ferry the injured to hospital. An emergency was declared in all hospitals in Islamabad, including the premier Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, where officials said they had received 23 bodies and 98 injured people.

1000 Kgs Of Explosives

An estimated 1,000 kilograms of explosives are said to havebeen used in the huge blast. The explosion created a crater 25 ft deep and 30 ft wide, totally destroyed the road in front of the building and sparked a fire that engulfed about two-thirds of the 290-room hotel.

Officials said this was one of the most powerful bomb attacks witnessed in Islamabad. The blast was so powerful that the Marriott's lobby and reception, located almost 100 feet from the site where the suicide bomber blew himself up, wascompletely destroyed.

The explosion brought down the ceiling of the banquet hall, where some 300 people were sharing a meal to break the fast during the holy month ofRamzan. Several floors of the hotel were seen on fire.

The President's House is located near the hotel which is a popular haunt among foreigners.A World Bank delegation was reportedly among the many foreigners staying in the hotel.

The windowpanes of the buildings around the hotel were shattered and at least two dozen cars stationed at the parking lot completely destroyed in the impact of theblast, which could be heard over a distance of a kilometre.

Major Security Lapse

The attack is being seen as a major security lapse as a truck packed withexplosives had managed to get through the tight security arrangements aroundConstitution Avenue, which is located in the vicinity of the Marriott Hotel.

The security ring was put in place ahead of President Zardari's address todayto a joint sitting of both houses of parliament. The presidency, Supreme Court,parliament and Pakistan Secretariat, which houses the offices of key ministries,are located along the Constitution Avenue.

President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and several other dignitaries were at the premier's residence, located about half a kilometre away, for an iftar dinner at the time of the blast. Officials said the dignitaries had escapedunhurt. 

Commandos and security personnel created a cordon around the VVIPs and thedignitaries did not move out of the Prime Minister's House for several hours dueto security reasons. The interior ministry sounded a high alert across Pakistanafter the attack and security was tightened in key cities like Lahore, Peshawar,Quetta and Rawalpindi.

The attack came hours after President Zardari in his maiden speech in Parliament vowed to stamp out terrorism and to prevent terrorists from using Pakistani territory for launching attacks directed against other countries.

Zardari had said he would "root out terrorism and extremism wherever and whenever they may rear their ugly heads".Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani have strongly condemned the attack in a statement.

"This is terrorism and we have to fight it together as a nation," Rehman Malik, Pakistan's Interior Minister, told reporters at a hospital overflowing with the wounded as rescuers ferried a stream of bloodied bodies from the gutted building.He said the people behind the blast cannot be called Muslims as they had killedinnocent people. "I appeal to the ulema (clerics) and the whole nation tojoin hands against such people who are working against the spirit ofIslam," he said.

Close Encounters

The posh Marriott Hotel, a favourite hub of Westerners in Pakistan's capital city, has been targeted for the second time in over a year, the last attack coming on a day when the Indian High Commissioner was to host a reception in the five-star property.

On January 26 last year, a suicide bomber tried to storm the building situated at the heart of the city but had to detonate his explosives at the entrance when he was stopped by an alert security guard. 

The explosion had killed the bomber and the security man besides injuring seven others.Indian High Commissioner Satyabrata Pal had then gone ahead with the plans to hold a reception on the same evening to mark the Republic Day.

Previously, the Islamabad Marriott Hotel, seen as a US symbol, saw a major explosion in October 2004. Eight people were wounded in the blast, including one US diplomat and two hotel employees. Following the blast, the US Embassy had asked diplomats and travellers not to visit the hotel.

The Marriott is a popular haunt of Islamabad's Western expatriates. Its nightclub has one of very few licensed bars in Pakistan, which is only open to foreigners.

Another facility of the American hotel chain was targeted in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on August 5, 2003. A suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the lobby of the hotel, killing 12 people and injuring 150 others.

Marriott International has about 3,000 lodging properties located in the United States and 67 other countries, including India.