Deadly blast targets Marriott Hotel in Islamabad

[CrimsonWhite]

Guess those raids into Pakistan are gonna look like a good idea now.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- A car bomb detonated Saturday night in the heart of Islamabad, killing at least 34 people, police said, and shattering windows more than two miles away.

At least 200 people were injured in the attack in Pakistan's capital, policed said.

Rescuers pulled bloodied victims from vehicles, and other casualties could be seen in the street. Officials predicted the casualty tolls would rise.

GEO TV's Hamid Mir, who was at the explosion site, said he saw at least 52 bodies. Most of the dead appeared to be drivers who were waiting with their cars outside the hotel, and hotel staff -- most of them security guards.

Mir said a witness saw the gates of the hotel rammed open by a small car, followed by an explosive-laden truck that detonated.

The blast caused a natural gas leak that set the top floor of the five-story, 258-room Marriott Hotel on fire. The blaze quickly engulfed the entire structure. More than a dozen cars were reduced to twisted steel.

Deadly blast targets Marriott Hotel in Islamabad - CNN.com