BREAKING NEWS: Bomb Blast in Islamabad

Wire services reported that there was a bomb blast outside the Marriott hotel in the nation’s capital of Islamabad today. The Associated Press reported, “A huge explosion ripped through part of the heavily guarded Marriott Hotel in Pakistan’s capital on Saturday. Many people, including foreigners, were seen running out, some of them stained with blood.” Reuters cited a “senior police official,” who said, “The explosion happened as a car reached the barricade outside the hotel.” No group has claimed responsibility for the incident, although wire services have indicated that it may have been a suicide attack. A recently updated AP piece cited hospital official Raja Ejaz, who said at least two people were killed, while 25 were wounded.

UPDATE [1059 EST]: As expected, news agencies are reporting varying numbers of casualties. Dawn News reportedly confirmed that at least 25 died in the attack. The news agency added, “Fifteen of dead are reportedly at the Pims hospital in Islamabad.” Although both BBC News and Geo TV reported similar numbers to Dawn, ARY Television reported a much higher casualty count, noting that at least 40 people were killed, and a 100 were injured. The BBC’s Barbara Plett who is at the scene says that the entire front section of the Marriott Hotel has been blown out and wreckage is everywhere. [Image from AFP]

UPDATE [1130 EST]: Dawn News is now reporting that 30 people are dead from the Marriott blast, adding that a Danish diplomat and three US citizens are among the injured. BBC News is reporting that 40 people have been killed, and BBC correspondent Plett reported that “about two-thirds of the 290-room hotel is on fire, and the wounded and dead are still being brought out, on stretchers or wrapped in sheets.” CNN, in its coverage, reported, “The blast caused a natural gas leak that set the Marriott Hotel on fire.”

Several news outlets are framing the blast in light of President Zardari’s Parliament address, which happened two hours before the incident. According to the BBC, “In his first speech to MPs since he replaced Pervez Musharraf in August, he vowed instead to ‘root out terrorism and extremism wherever and whenever they may rear their ugly heads.’”

UPDATE 1145 [EST]: News reports are saying people are still inside the hotel and people have indicated the hotel is in danger of collapsing. A recently updated AP wire reported, “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 bloodied bodies from the gutted building. Witnesses and officials said a large truck had rammed the high metal gate of the hotel at about 8 p.m., when the restaurants would have been packed with diners, including Muslims breaking the Ramadan fast.”

UPDATE 1225 [EST]: News agencies are still reporting similar casualty numbers, [see above], but CNN reported that at least 200 were injured in the attack. The death toll is expected to rise as reports continue to come in. According to GEO News, “A rescue operation is underway to bring out the people trapped inside the hotel.” Although media outlets are indicating that foreigners are among those killed in the blast, CNN reported, “Most of the dead appeared to be drivers who were waiting with their cars outside the hotel, and hotel staff — most of them security guards.” [Image below from Dawn News]

UPDATE 1250 [EST]: AAJ Television reported the bomb blast brought down the ceiling in a banquet room where there were about 200 to 300 people at a meal to break the fast during the holy month of Ramazan. Imtiaz Gul was reportedly one of these people and told news agencies, “We just ran for cover, I could see a lot of injured people lying around me.” Reuters cited statements by the hotel’s owner, Sadruddin Hashwani, who said the vehicle carrying the bomb “was stopped at the front barrier and was being checked by guards after a bomb-sniffing dog raised the alarm.” He told reporters, “The guard dog alerted them and when they started searching the vehicle the man blew himself up.” News channels are currently indicating the explosion of first the smaller car, followed by a “dumper truck” that held “packaging material” behind the car, [CHUP will follow up on those details.]

UPDATE 1340 [EST]: The BBC’s Barbara Plett says the emergency services have been unable to reach the upper floors of the hotel, where more people are feared to be trapped. There are continuing fears that the hotel will collapse. The NY Times quoted a guard at the Marriott, Amjad Ali Khan, who, when asked who he thought perpetrated the blast, responded, “They are terrorists…They threatened a few days ago. We heard there were four to five suicide bombers on the loose.” [Image below from the BBC]

UPDATE 1821 [EST]: Interior Ministry spokesman Rehman Malik confirmed the above police official’s statement, [see above] telling reporters “the government had received word of a possible attack near the parliamentary offices.” Dawn quoted him saying, “We had intelligence reports two days ago that some incident might take place.” The Associated Press cited statements by Senior Police Official Asghar Raza Gardaizi, who said the blast, which reverberated throughout Islamabad, was caused by more than 2,204 pounds (1,000 kilograms) of explosives.” A few hours after the attack, President Zardari addressed the nation on television, stating, “My heart cries tears of blood, I can understand your pain, I want to ask you to turn this pain into your strength.” CNN reported that Zardari described extremism as “a cancer, which we will finish,” adding, “In the holy month of Ramadan, no Muslim can act in this way, these people are not Muslims…I appeal to all democratic nations to help us get rid of this menace.”