Pak blast: Rescuers search hotel debris;sleuths look for clues

Rezaul H. Laskar
Islamabad, Sep 21 (PTI) At least four more charred bodies were Sunday brought out of the gutted five-star Marriott Hotel as rescuers searched the remains of the smouldering building, a day after the massive suicide truck bombing killed 60 people including an American in the Pakistani capital.

The massive blast Saturday night, in which officials said
about 1,000 kilograms of explosives were used, ruptured gas
pipelines and triggered a fire that rapidly spread through the
five-storey 290-room hotel, which was popular among
foreigners.

The blaze was brought under control by fire fighters
about 13 hours after the suicide bomber struck at 8 pm
Saturday night, when the hotel was packed with Muslims who had
gathered for the traditional 'Iftaar' meal after another day
of fasting during the holy month of Ramzan and foreigners
dining out.

TV channels reported that at least four bodies were
pulled out of the building this morning. Officials at the
Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences said an American
national was among those who died.

The explosion and the fire injured 260 people, including
over 20 foreigners. A Danish diplomat, several Americans and
Britons, three or four Germans and two Saudi nationals were
among the injured.

Rescue efforts at the hotel were hampered by rains Sunday
morning and the high temperature within the blackened and
smouldering building. Smoke continued to waft out of several
rooms of the structure long after the blaze was brought under
control.

The army joined rescue workers at the site to clear the
rubble and to search the building. Officials said it was
feared that some more bodies could still be trapped in the
rooms on the upper floors of the luxury hotel.

Forensic and explosive experts from the army and security
agencies scoured through a crater – about 25 feet deep and 30
feet wide – created by the blast outside the hotel in their
search for clues. They also collected samples of blood stains
and body parts.

The government announced a reward of Rs. one crore for
information about the perpetrators of the attack, believed to
be the most devastating suicide bombing witnessed here.

Some reports said a small car rammed into the gate of the
hotel minutes before the suicide bomber struck in the truck.
However, there was no official confirmation of this account.

The blast caused maximum damage to the lobby and several
restaurants on the ground floor of Marriott. The ceiling
collapsed in many places and windows all over the hotel were
shattered by the blast. Dozens of cars parked within and
around the hotel were destroyed in the explosion.

Rehman Malik, the Prime Minister's Adviser on Interior
Affairs, said authorities had received intelligence reports
that terrorists might strike at the parliament building during
President Asif Ali Zardari's maiden address to a joint sitting
of the National Assembly and Senate Saturday.

Sadruddin Hashwani, the owner of Marriott, said about
1,000 guests were in the hotel while some 300 people were
present for an 'Iftar' function in a hall. There were also 600
staff members in the building.

Some reports said a group of U.S. marines bound for
Afghanistan was staying in the hotel and could have been the
target of the attacker. Armed U.S. personnel, clad in civilian
clothes and carrying automatic rifles, were seen within the
hotel shortly after the blast.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but
security officials have pointed the finger at the Pakistani
Taliban, which has been behind several recent suicide bombings
that have killed hundreds in Pakistan. PTI RHL