Mariott Hotel following the suicide bomb blast.Photo: AFP

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.

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