Stream of bloodied bodies ferried from Islamabad blast site

Islamabad : A massive truck bomb devastated the heavily guarded Marriott Hotel in the Pakistan capital here on Saturday.

The Marriott in Islamabad is a favourite place for foreigners to stay and socialise, despite repeated militant attacks. A security guard at the scene, Mohammad Nasir, and several witnesses said a large truck had driven towards the gate before exploding.

The blast left a vast crater some 30 feet (10 metres) deep in front of the main building, where flames poured from the windows and rescuers ferried a stream of bloodied bodies from the gutted building.

An reporter counted at least nine bodies scattered at the scene. Scores of people, including foreigners, were running out - some of them stained with blood.

Ahmad Latif, a senior police official, said it was one of the biggest terrorist strikes in Pakistan history.

Ambulances rushed to the area, smoke hovered and the carcasses of vehicles were thrown about. Windows in buildings hundreds of metres away were shattered.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

However, Pakistan, a US ally in the war on terror, has faced a wave of militant violence in recent weeks following army-led offensives against insurgents.

At a hospital, where many of the casualties were taken, official Raja Ejaz said at least 2 people had died and 25 were wounded.