At least 15 people were killed and 64 others were injured Tuesday evening when a blast hit a five-star hotel in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, according to local TV reports.
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A man cries in a hospital after the bomb attack in a hotel in Peshawar June 9, 2009. At least 15 people were killed and 64 others were injured Tuesday evening when a blast hit a five-star hotel in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, according to local TV reports. [Xinhua]
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Several foreigners were among the injured in the deadly bomb blast, which occurred at the Pearl Continental Hotel, a heavily-guarded five-star hotel in Peshawar, capital of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
Some 40 vehicles including one belongs to the United Nations were destroyed in the blast.
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A policeman stands near destroyed vehicles at the site off a bomb attack in a hotel in Peshawar June 9, 2009. [Xinhua]
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The blast caused severe damage inside the hotel including the lobby and the left side of the hotel building.
A Bomb Disposal Squad official said that at least 500 kilograms of explosives were used in the attack.
A committee has been formed to probe the incident and security has been tightened at the blast site.
Witnesses said that the attackers first started firing at the guards when they stopped their vehicle from entering the hotel compound.
No group claimed responsibility for the blast. But the Pakistani Taliban militants are blamed for such attacks.
