This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/8092556.stm

The article has changed 13 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Search for Pakistan blast victims Search for Pakistan blast victims
(about 1 hour later)
Rescuers are searching for victims of a suicide bomb attack on a luxury hotel in the Pakistani city of Peshawar which killed at least 18 people.Rescuers are searching for victims of a suicide bomb attack on a luxury hotel in the Pakistani city of Peshawar which killed at least 18 people.
Rescue teams are picking through the rubble of the Pearl Continental Hotel recovering bodies and looking for more people trapped in the debris.Rescue teams are picking through the rubble of the Pearl Continental Hotel recovering bodies and looking for more people trapped in the debris.
The UN says two of its employees - one from Serbia and the other from the Philippines - are among the dead.The UN says two of its employees - one from Serbia and the other from the Philippines - are among the dead.
A spate of bombings has followed an army crackdown on Taliban militants.A spate of bombings has followed an army crackdown on Taliban militants.
The death toll rose to 18 with the discovery of three bodies early on Wednesday. At least 60 people have been injured. The latest attack came as the Pakistani army stepped up its operations in the north-west with an offensive in the Bannu district bordering semi-autonomous North Waziristan.
Police say gunmen stormed the outer security barrier at the hotel before blowing up a vehicle containing about 500kg of explosives. Artillery and helicopter gunships have pounded positions held by the Janikhel tribe, which is accused of aiding the Taliban.
Similar tactics
The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad says the Peshawar attack bore similarities to one on the Lahore police headquarters last month.
Gunmen forced their way through a security barrier, firing at guards, before a van packed with explosives was driven through and detonated in the car park.
Police believe the bomb contained about 500kg of explosives.
The death toll rose to 18 with the discovery of three bodies early on Wednesday, our correspondent says. At least 60 people have been injured.
"The number of casualties could rise as we fear that some people are still trapped under the debris," police spokesman Abdul Ghafoor Afridi told AFP news agency."The number of casualties could rise as we fear that some people are still trapped under the debris," police spokesman Abdul Ghafoor Afridi told AFP news agency.
ANALYSIS Jill McGivering, BBC News The PC is a well-known landmark in Peshawar. Often used by foreigners but also by Pakistani officials and businessmen, it is known for good Western as well as local food and 5-star service. All factors which may have contributed to its becoming a target. When I visited recently, there was a whole series of security checks. First of vehicles, as they drove in, past heavy concrete barriers. Then of people, screened by metal detectors and bag searches. But suicide bombers and gunmen are hard to stop. There are clear echoes of the devastating assault on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad last September. Security in Peshawar has worsened dramatically in the last year. Many of those who can afford to move have taken their families to Islamabad or beyond - abandoning a city now becoming consumed by fear and violence.ANALYSIS Jill McGivering, BBC News The PC is a well-known landmark in Peshawar. Often used by foreigners but also by Pakistani officials and businessmen, it is known for good Western as well as local food and 5-star service. All factors which may have contributed to its becoming a target. When I visited recently, there was a whole series of security checks. First of vehicles, as they drove in, past heavy concrete barriers. Then of people, screened by metal detectors and bag searches. But suicide bombers and gunmen are hard to stop. There are clear echoes of the devastating assault on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad last September. Security in Peshawar has worsened dramatically in the last year. Many of those who can afford to move have taken their families to Islamabad or beyond - abandoning a city now becoming consumed by fear and violence.
"One portion of the hotel was totally destroyed. Three people including a manager of the hotel are missing and we fear they are under the debris.""One portion of the hotel was totally destroyed. Three people including a manager of the hotel are missing and we fear they are under the debris."
The UN named its two employees killed in the attack as Serbian national Aleksandar Vorkapic, of the refugee agency UNHCR, and Perseveranda So of the Philippines who worked for the children's agency Unicef.The UN named its two employees killed in the attack as Serbian national Aleksandar Vorkapic, of the refugee agency UNHCR, and Perseveranda So of the Philippines who worked for the children's agency Unicef.
Unicef said the bombing was "reprehensible and unacceptable" and said it was "greatly saddened" by the death of Perseveranda So.Unicef said the bombing was "reprehensible and unacceptable" and said it was "greatly saddened" by the death of Perseveranda So.
"She was in Peshawar, a dangerous and difficult environment, helping implement programmes to assist girls in gaining access to the education they so desperately need. She will be greatly missed," the statement said."She was in Peshawar, a dangerous and difficult environment, helping implement programmes to assist girls in gaining access to the education they so desperately need. She will be greatly missed," the statement said.
At least a dozen UN workers had been staying at the hotel before heading out to refugee camps in North West Frontier Province, where Pakistan has been engaged in a military offensive to crush Taliban insurgents. At least a dozen UN workers had been staying at the hotel before heading out to refugee camps in North West Frontier Province.
Peshawar, the main city in the country's north-west, is not far from the Swat valley, where the offensive has been concentrated. Peshawar, the main city in the north-west, is not far from the Swat valley, where the government's offensive against the Taliban has been concentrated.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani swiftly condemned the attack but the blast hardly comes as a surprise, says the BBC's Chris Morris, in Islamabad.Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani swiftly condemned the attack but the blast hardly comes as a surprise, says the BBC's Chris Morris, in Islamabad.
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for Tuesday night's attack on what is the most prominent hotel in Peshawar, our correspondent says most people will assume it to be the work of the Taliban. While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for Tuesday night's attack, our correspondent says most people will assume it to be the work of the Taliban.
A symbol of Peshawar's contact with the rest of the world, a place where government officials and foreign dignitaries are accustomed to staying, has been attacked, he adds. The injured include a British man and a German national, Peshawar district co-ordination officer Sahibzada Anis said.
The injured include a British man and a German national, Peshawar district coordination officer Sahibzada Anis said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke of "a heinous terrorist attack which no cause can justify".UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke of "a heinous terrorist attack which no cause can justify".
Eyewitnesses told the BBC News website the blast could be seen up to 5km (3 miles) away. The blast left a large crater and parts of the hotel were destroyed.Eyewitnesses told the BBC News website the blast could be seen up to 5km (3 miles) away. The blast left a large crater and parts of the hotel were destroyed.
I saw the red light from there blowing and then I heard a huge sound Musa Khan BBC News website reader in Peshawar Peshawar blast: Your stories In pictures: Peshawar blastI saw the red light from there blowing and then I heard a huge sound Musa Khan BBC News website reader in Peshawar Peshawar blast: Your stories In pictures: Peshawar blast
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. An injured man, Jawad Chaudhry, said he had been in his room on the ground floor when he heard gunshots, then an explosion.
"They drove the vehicle inside the hotel gates and blew it up on reaching close to the hotel building," he added. Ali Khan, a hotel waiter, said he had been working when the attack happened.
"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.""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."
Musa Khan, a BBC News website reader in Peshawar, said he was far away when the blast happened but could tell it was "huge".Musa Khan, a BBC News website reader in Peshawar, said he was far away when the blast happened but could tell it was "huge".
"I was in the university lawn with my friends," he said. "I saw the red light from there blowing and then I heard a huge sound.""I was in the university lawn with my friends," he said. "I saw the red light from there blowing and then I heard a huge sound."
Another Peshawar reader, Imran, said window panes 5km away had been shattered while a third, Samee Uddin, reported gunshots and then a "huge cloud of smoke [which] could be seen from more than 3km away". Correspondents say the Pearl Continental - usually just called the PC - runs a series of security checks, first of vehicles as they drive in past concrete barriers, then of people who are screened by metal detectors and bag searches.
The Pearl Continental, usually just called the PC, is a well-known landmark in Peshawar, often used by foreigners, Pakistani officials and businessmen. Taliban leaders have promised revenge attacks on major Pakistani cities and claimed responsibility for the bombing in Lahore last month which left at least 28 people dead.
Correspondents say it runs a series of security checks, first of vehicles as they drive in past heavy concrete barriers, then of people who are screened by metal detectors and bag searches. A suicide attack on the Islamabad Marriott hotel last September killed at least 53 people and injured more than 266.
Government forces launched an offensive earlier this year to crush a Taliban-led uprising in the Swat valley aimed at enforcing Sharia law. In Bannu, officials say 70 militants have been killed in the action which started on Tuesday, but the figures cannot be verified.
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. Security officials say the tribe refused to hand over militants involved in the kidnapping of students and teachers from a college last week who were later freed.
A devastating suicide bomb attack on the Islamabad Marriott hotel last September killed at least 53 people and injured more than 266. A curfew has been imposed in Bannu.
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. Analysts say North and South and North Waziristan are strongholds for al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
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.