Scores dead, many trapped in Pakistan hotel bombing

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — With dozens still believed trapped inside, authorities continued to search early today for victims of a massive suicide-bomb attack on a five-star hotel frequented by foreign diplomats and the Pakistani elite.

At least 42 people were killed and 250 others wounded when a truck loaded with more than a ton of explosives was rammed into the gates of the Marriott Hotel, located blocks from major government buildings. The thunderous blast in the heart of the capital reverberated for miles, carved out a crater 30 feet deep and set off a fire that continued to burn into the early hours of today. Officials said the hotel might collapse.

Officials said some of the dead were foreigners, including at least one American. Hospital staff said 21 foreigners, including two Americans, were among the injured.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which hit hours after Asif Ali Zardari, the new president of this Muslim nation of 160 million, delivered his maiden speech to lawmakers. Islamic militants have vowed to destabilize Zardari's government, which is faced with deepening economic gloom and growing public anger over Pakistan's alliance with the U.S., especially military operations against the Taliban and other extremists.

Zardari reappeared after midnight on state television to condemn the "cowardly attack." He said he understood the victims' pain because he had buried his wife — assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto — in December.

"Make this pain your strength," he said. "This is a menace, a cancer in Pakistan which we will eliminate. We will not be scared of these cowards."

Bush, Zardari to meet

President Bush and Zardari are scheduled to meet this week during a U.N. session in New York.

"We will assist Pakistan in confronting this threat and bringing the perpetrators to justice," Bush said. "We will fully support the democratically elected government of Pakistan and the Pakistani people as they face enormous challenges economically as well as from terrorism."

Western anti-terror officials were trying to determine whether responsibility for the attack belonged to the core leadership of al-Qaida or to one of an array of radical fundamentalist groups operating in the largely lawless regions of Pakistan near the Afghanistan border.

The size of the truck bomb, the successful strike against a well-guarded target and apparent careful planning were all signs of a skilled, experienced militant group.

"I don't think it was the Taliban," said Sajjan Gohel of the Asia-Pacific Foundation, a London-based think tank on terrorism and security issues. "It seems more al-Qaida, or a group affiliated with al-Qaida, because of the scope and the ferocity of it."

If al-Qaida was involved, it probably would claim responsibility in an emphatic way to show it remains viable despite the loss of key leaders this year in Pakistani government offensives and U.S. air attacks. Witnesses and Islamabad residents said they heard the blast several miles away. The bomber detonated his explosives-laden truck during iftar, the evening fast-breaking ritual during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Marriott big social spot

The Marriott is a center of the capital's social and political scene and a favorite of foreign business visitors, journalists and diplomats. Security is always heavy. In January 2007, a suicide bomber triggered a blast nearby, killing a security guard and wounding seven.

The country's deadliest suicide bombing was on Oct. 18, 2007, and targeted Bhutto, who survived. The attack killed some 150 people in Karachi during celebrations welcoming her home from exile. Bhutto was assassinated in a subsequent attack on Dec. 27.

Ahmed Yasin, a Marriott employee, said he saw people bolt toward the rear exits after Saturday's blast tore through the hotel's front section and reception area.

Dazed and bloodied survivors staggered through smoke and rubble. Body parts were strewn over a wide distance.

A U.S. State Department official led three colleagues through the rubble from the charred building, one of them bleeding heavily from a wound on the side of his head. One of the four, who identified himself only as Tony, said they had been moving toward the rear of a Chinese restaurant inside the hotel after a first, small blast when a second explosion hurled them against the back wall.

"Then we saw a big truck coming to the gates," he said. "After that, it was just smoke and darkness."

Compiled from the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press