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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| BA suspends flights after bombing | BA suspends flights after bombing |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| British Airways has suspended "indefinitely" flights to and from Pakistan in the wake of a bomb attack on a hotel in the capital, Islamabad. | British Airways has suspended "indefinitely" flights to and from Pakistan in the wake of a bomb attack on a hotel in the capital, Islamabad. |
| The airline said it had suspended its six weekly services "in light of the current security situation". | The airline said it had suspended its six weekly services "in light of the current security situation". |
| Six UK nationals, including one child, were hurt in Saturday's suicide bombing at the Marriott Hotel which killed 53 people and left 266 with injuries. | |
| A lorry laden with 600kg of explosives rammed the hotel's security gate. | |
| BA said in a statement that it was in discussion with numerous operators about possible provision of other travel options to and from Islamabad. | BA said in a statement that it was in discussion with numerous operators about possible provision of other travel options to and from Islamabad. |
| The capital is the only destination in Pakistan served by BA. | The capital is the only destination in Pakistan served by BA. |
| Passengers are told to contact their local British Airways office for further advice. | Passengers are told to contact their local British Airways office for further advice. |
| Meanwhile, the British High Commission in Pakistan said the company that runs four visa application centres had closed the sites for a security review. | Meanwhile, the British High Commission in Pakistan said the company that runs four visa application centres had closed the sites for a security review. |
| Retaliation theory | |
| No group has admitted carrying out the bombing, but Pakistan Interior Ministry adviser Rehman Malik suggested responsibility lay with al-Qaeda and Taleban militants based in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) on the Afghan border. | |
| "In previous attacks, all roads led to Fata," he said. | |
| The government pledged to take targeted action against militants, suggesting raids would be carried out in "hotspots" near the border. | |
| The BBC's Barbara Plett, in Islamabad, says the attack might have been retaliation for army bombardments of suspected Taleban targets with jet fighters. | |
| The heavily-guarded hotel was attacked at about 2000 (1500 GMT) on Saturday, the blast making a crater about 8m (27ft) deep and triggering a fire that engulfed the 290-room, five-storey building for hours. | |
| Witnesses described a scene in which blood-covered victims were pulled from the wreckage and guests and staff ran for cover from shattered glass and flames. |