A huge explosion has killed five people and injured at least 25 at a luxury hotel in the north-west Pakistani city of Peshawar, officials say. | A huge explosion has killed at least five people and injured some 25 at a luxury hotel in the north-west Pakistani city of Peshawar. |
| Reports suggest gunmen stormed the premises of the five-star Pearl Continental just before the blast, and scenes of chaos are reported outside. | Reports suggest gunmen stormed the premises of the five-star Pearl Continental just before the blast, and scenes of chaos are reported outside. |
| Journalists at the scene say they have seen several injured foreigners. | Journalists at the scene say they have seen several injured foreigners. |
| A series of bombs have hit cities including Peshawar since a government crackdown on Taliban militants. | A series of bombs have hit cities including Peshawar since a government crackdown on Taliban militants. |
A policeman told me they had opened fire on two vehicles Fazle Mubeen, eyewitness | The floor under my feet shook Jawad Chaudhry, eyewitness |
| Peshawar, the main city in the country's north-west, is not far from the Swat valley, where the government offensive has been concentrated. | Peshawar, the main city in the country's north-west, is not far from the Swat valley, where the government offensive has been concentrated. |
| This was the most prominent hotel in Peshawar, the BBC's Chris Morris reports. | This was the most prominent hotel in Peshawar, the BBC's Chris Morris reports. |
| Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani condemned the attack but it hardly comes as a surprise, our correspondent says. | Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani condemned the attack but it hardly comes as a surprise, our correspondent says. |
| There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Tuesday night's attack. |
| 'Two vehicles' | 'Two vehicles' |
One eyewitness, Fazle Mubeen, said two vehicles had been involved in the incident. | The blast left a large crater, according to an Associated Press journalist, and TV footage suggests part of the hotel was badly damaged. |
| Three men riding in a truck approached the main gate of the hotel and opened fire at security guards before driving inside, police official Liaqat Ali told AP, quoting witness accounts. |
| "They drove the vehicle inside the hotel gates and blew it up on reaching close to the hotel building," he added. |
| An eyewitness, Fazle Mubeen, said two vehicles had been involved in the incident. |
| "A policeman told me they had opened fire on two vehicles," he said. | "A policeman told me they had opened fire on two vehicles," he said. |
| "Two men were killed in the first car. Then the second vehicle entered the premises and the blast happened." | "Two men were killed in the first car. Then the second vehicle entered the premises and the blast happened." |
Police official Liaqat Ali said an unknown number of gunmen had run into the hotel just before "a big bomb went off", AP reports | Ali Khan, a hotel waiter, said he had been working when the attack happened. |
The official added that he believed it had been a suicide attack. | "I was in the Chinese restaurant when we heard firing and then a blast," he told Reuters news agency. "It was totally dark and people started shouting and running." |
| An injured man, Jawad Chaudhry, said he had been in his room on the ground floor when he heard gunshots, then a big bang. |
| "The floor under my feet shook," he said. "I thought the roof was falling on me. I ran out. I saw everybody running in panic. There was blood and pieces of glass everywhere." |
| Revenge vow |
| Pearl Continental's website describes its hotel in Peshawar as "overlooking the famous Peshawar golf course and the historic Bala Hisar Fort". |
| Correspondents say the hotel is popular with foreigners. |
| Government forces launched an offensive earlier this year to crush a Taliban-led uprising in the Swat valley aimed at enforcing Sharia law. | Government forces launched an offensive earlier this year to crush a Taliban-led uprising in the Swat valley aimed at enforcing Sharia law. |
| Taliban leaders have promised to launch revenge attacks on major Pakistani cities and claimed a bombing in Lahore last month which left at least 28 people dead. | Taliban leaders have promised to launch revenge attacks on major Pakistani cities and claimed a bombing in Lahore last month which left at least 28 people dead. |
Pearl Continental's website describes its hotel in Peshawar as "overlooking the famous Peshawar golf course and the historic Bala Hisar Fort". | |
| A devastating suicide bomb attack on the Islamabad Marriott hotel last September killed at least 53 people and injured more than 266. | A devastating suicide bomb attack on the Islamabad Marriott hotel last September killed at least 53 people and injured more than 266. |
| Fidayeen-e-Islam, a little-known Pakistani militant group, told the BBC it had carried out the attack with the aim of stopping US interference in Pakistan. | Fidayeen-e-Islam, a little-known Pakistani militant group, told the BBC it had carried out the attack with the aim of stopping US interference in Pakistan. |
|
|
| Are you in the area? Have you been affected by this incident, or have you seen or heard anything? Send your comments or pictures using the form below. | Are you in the area? Have you been affected by this incident, or have you seen or heard anything? Send your comments or pictures using the form below. |
| |
| The BBC may edit your comments and cannot guarantee that all emails will be published. | The BBC may edit your comments and cannot guarantee that all emails will be published. |
