Islamabad in flames

ISLAMABAD - A huge explosion rocked the capital on Saturday evening at around 8 pm when an explosive-laden vehicle rammed into a five-star hotel building killing at least 60, including foreigners, and leaving 260 injured with mounted panic and fear gripping the whole city.

In what is termed as an unprecedented act of terror in Pakistan's history, a truck bomb rammed into the heavily-guarded hotel located in the most secured area that housed President and Prime Minister Houses, Parliament building, Secretariat, Supreme Court and many other important state structures.

The massive explosion shook the Marriott Hotel, located in high-security zone of the capital, turning the grand structure into mere rubble and sparked mammoth flames of fire. Immediately after the massive blast, the hotel building caught fire and scores of guests were trapped in the premises and some of them were seen waiving their hands at the top roof of the building for help.

Minutes after the explosion there were dozens of people seen dead on the road with wretched vehicles on either side of the lane. Vehicles parked in the parking lot of the hotel were also severely damaged by the shock of the blast. Ambulances rushed to the scene within minutes along fire engines of CDA. Intelligence agencies personnel reached there to collect evidences from crime scene and the area was cordoned off.

The explosion left a 30-feet deep crater in front of the hotel building engulfed by the fire with flames pouring from the windows. The rescue workers were seen brining out bloodied bodies from the gutted building but large number of people were trapped inside the burning building.

The explosion shattered the windows even in buildings hundreds of feet away from the targeted hotel. The adjacent buildings of the hotel felt severe impact of the blast. The window glass as well as doors of Balochistan House, PTV, Evacuee Trust Building and Gulshen-e-Jinnah broke with the huge waves of blast.  The blast also caused damage to Privatization Commission and building of National Art Council.  

"The truck asked to stop by the security guards hit the main gate and after that it was a huge explosion that rocked the hotel where hundreds of people were having their dinner," said a hotel employee Muhammad Sultan. A security guard, Nasir Khan said that truck caught fire on its front before suddenly exploding. "I heard a big bang and after that I was unconscious", he added.

At the time of blast that occurred around 8 pm, dozens of Pakistani lawmakers were attending a dinner at Prime Minister House hosted by Speaker National Assembly in honour of the parliamentarians hours after the new President Asif Ali Zardari's maiden speech to the parliament in which he had said that Pakistan would not tolerate violations of its sovereignty in the name of fight against terrorism.

Mohammad Farid from F & D Department of Marriott said that he saw a loaded truck bumping into the main entrance of the Marriot that wreaked havoc. Zulfiqar Abassi, elder brother of Mansoor Abassi a waiter at Marriot's Marquee hall, said at PIMS that his brother was arranging for a function that was to be held at Marriott in the evening. "He was holding a tray full of glasses when the blast occurred. He lost his senses immediately and is unconscious since then", he added. TheNation tried to talk to Mansoor Abbasi but he could not regain his nerves.

Mohammad Sultan, a hotel employee said that he was in the lobby when an explosion knocked him down. "I don't understand what it was but it was like the world is finished," he said.

A PML-N lawmaker, Chaudhry Saud Majeed who was at that time sitting in PM's House backyard lawn told The Nation that the huge blast shook the chairs in the lawn. "All the parliamentarians were shocked over the bang and some of them collapsed on the ground", he added. He revealed that the venue of Speaker's Iftar dinner was the Parliament House but it was changed at the eleventh hour to PM house.   

The 290-room hotel is popular place of foreigners in the city and a number of foreign journalists, visitors, businessmen and diplomats keep on visiting it particularly in the evening. The Marriott hotel in Islamabad has been targeted before also. 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.

Earlier today, Pakistan's new President in his maiden address to the joint sitting of the parliament had said, "We will not tolerate the violation of our sovereignty and territorial integrity by any power in the name of combating terrorism".

IGP Islamabad Asghar Gardezi said that it would be immature to say anything final about the incident. "We have rescued more than hundred people who were trapped in the hotel building", he told the reporters outside the hotel. "There are different reports about the incident of explosion as different eyewitness are telling different stories. Some say that it was a 'Shahzore truck' with a little spark in its bottom that exploded at the main entrance of the hotel", he maintained. He said that he feared fifty people had been killed in the explosion that resounded throughout Islamabad. He added that most likely it was caused by more than a ton of explosives keeping in view the intensity of the blast.

The rocking sound of the blast was heard far and wide and jolted the buildings of the whole city. The hotel building caught fire after the blast as reportedly the gas pipeline caught fire and a portion of the building was seen burning. Eyewitnesses said number of people were injured and taken to different hospitals. A Police official said,  "Apparently it looks that an explosive laden vehicle had struck the hotel's entrance. However, I cannot give the figure of the injured or dead. Our top priority is rescue. This moment we cannot say anything about the dead or the injured", he added.

Mukhtar Ahmed Mughal a patient at PIMS told this scribe that he was having Iftari at his residence in Guslhan-e-Jinnah F-5/1 at the backside of Marriott, when he heard a massive explosion as a result of which the doors, windows glass and blocks fell onto him and his family and all of them went unconscious. They were immediately brought to PIMS where they were reported to be out of danger. He appreciated the health service being provided to him at PIMS. A large number of vehicles were also seen damaged on the site with some private channels also showing footage of some seriously injured.   

"As many as 23 dead bodies and 90 injured have been so far brought to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS)", said hospital spokesman Dr Waseem Khawaja. "We have so far received 23 dead bodies, apparently all local people, with 97 injured and 30 among them serious," he informed media present at PIMS.  "All of our operation theatres are busy and doctors and other staff are carrying out operations and treatment to the injured," he added.  Khawaja said five foreigners were also injured with four German and one Saudi national. "However, they are out of danger", he said.

Khawaja said that all the dead were male including one child whose father was also injured. He said the injured that had got stable after treatment had been shifted to normal wards from ICU. Meanwhile, Advisor to the Prime Minister, Rehman Malik, PPP Leader Jehangir Badar and MNA Anjum Aqeel also visited PIMS. Malik directed the hospital management to extend all possible medical treatment to the injured.   

Dr. Shaukat, Resident Orthopedic Surgeon at PIMS told TheNation that tentative figures revealed some 25 deaths and around 100 seriously injured while some 20 patients that were extremely serious were being operated upon.

Around a total of 114 people were brought to Polyclinic Hospital and out of them around 40 were reported in serious condition by the hospital administration. According to hospital administration, 5 people were dead before they were brought to the hospital. The security situation was beefed up at the hospital and the relatives and friends of the injured were standing outside the hospital waiting for the information about their relatives.

It was told by Polyclinic Administration that a German citizen named Garee was also amongst the injured and was in critical condition. Two female Saudi citizens were also amongst the injured named Shireen and Arsha. Doctors told TheNation that around 40 injured patients having minor injuries were discharged right after the treatment.

Army troops were deployed at the site at about 10.40 pm to help rescue efforts and to maintain order in the vicinity. Officials claimed that 400-500 kg explosive material was used in the blast while independent sources claimed that it was more than 1000 kg explosive which was used in the attack.

Eyewitnesses and patients told this correspondent that there had occurred two blasts. "First blast was minor that made people rush into the lobbies of the hotel that was followed by a huge explosion in a truck that took place at the main gate of the hotel", told Mansoor Abbasi, an elder brother of injured waiter of the hotel.

The unprecedented havoc caused by the devastation of bomb explosion at the main entrance of Marriott Hotel not only resulted in the loss of precious lives but also fully exposed some serious flaws in our law enforcement agencies and civic organizations. CDA could not control fire in the hotel in four hours.  Till filing of this report no one claimed the responsibility of the incident.

Secretary Interior Kamal Shah said that a suspected vehicle carrying bricks tried to enter inside the Marriott Hotel. The security guard deployed at the gate also tried to stop the truck but it managed to enter inside and exploded with a big explosion.

Some private TV channels showed a group of armed U.S. embassy employees, inspecting the Marriott two hours after the explosion. They were wearing civilian clothes and combat helmets and carried automatic rifles and weren't accompanied by Pakistani police or military officers in the scene.



Agencies add: Several senior officers of US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who are reported to be currently visiting Islamabad were the target of the blast at the Marriott Hotel.

Well-placed sources said that Marriott Hotel is usual hotel choice of the US officials and it seems that militants tipped off that certain high-level US intelligence officers were currently staying at the hotel.

While no confirmation was available but sources said it was clear that the explosion was aimed at specific targets based on a tip-off.

Meanwhile, two foreigngers including a US national were among those killed in a suicide attack at the Marriott Hotel, while several foreigners were also wounded, hospital and security officials said.

Four British citizens were injured in the deadly truck bombing.

Two injured Britons were children, who were discharged from hospital later. The two adults are under observation.

A private news channel reported that seven foreigners were among the killed, while a medical officer at Islamabad's Polyclinic said three injured US and Danish diplomats were being treated there.

The German Foreign Ministry confirmed its six nationals were lightly wounded. One Danish diplomat was officially confirmed injured by the Danish government.

The ministry said several Danes had been staying at the hotel. However, there was no confirmation of reports that a Danish diplomat was among more than 60 killed in the attack.

The Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan, Ali Awadh Asseri, said 16 Saudi nationals were in the hotel at the time of deadly attack and four to six of them were missing.