Scores die as suicide bomb hits hotel

Westerners were targeted in an attack that devastated The Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, killing at least 60 people

A view of destruction caused by a suicide bomb explosion at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan (AP Photo/B.K.Bangash)

Javed Siddiq and Christina Lamb

A SUICIDE bomb attack last night on a hotel frequented by westerners in the centre of the Pakistan capital of Islamabad killed at least 60 people and injured more than 100. Police said it bore the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda or the Taliban.

At least two British people were wounded in the explosion at the Marriott hotel, in which more than a ton of explosive was thought to have been detonated. Two British children suffered superficial injuries. The blast was so powerful that it left the entire building in danger of collapse.

The five-star Marriott is a favourite place for overseas businessmen to stay in the city, even though it has previously been a target for militants. Scores of people, including westerners, were seen running out of the building, some of them covered with blood.

Gavin Earle, a British diplomat who was staying on the third floor of the hotel, escaped unhurt. He had been planning an early night, before catching a flight back to London today, when “suddenly there was a huge bang and all the windows shattered into the room.