The Pakistani government insisted yesterday that an electrical short circuit and not a terrorist bombing was the most likely cause of a powerful explosion at the luxury Marriott hotel in Islamabad.
At least seven people were injured, including two Italians and an American diplomat, in the blast, that occurred about 9:25pm on Thursday and shattered virtually every window on the ground floor of the hotel.
Hotel employees and guests reported a huge explosion that could be felt in rooms on higher floors, and the sound of the blast was heard from about a 1km away.
Pakistani authorities said immediately after the explosion that it was caused by a short circuit and yesterday morning said further investigations had confirmed their initial analysis.
"We haven't found any evidence that would suggest that it was an act of sabotage," the director general of the interior ministry's national crisis management cell, Brigadier Javed Cheema, told reporters.
"The evidence so far gathered indicates that the blast was caused by short circuiting. Our investigations are continuing. At the moment we rule out the possibility of any act of terrorism subversion," he said.
Aside from the extensive damage to the main entrance, the explosion also blew out windows at the back of main lobby, at least 30m from the immediate explosion site, and as those in adjoining rooms.
Huge Blast
"It seems to be a bomb explosion. The bomb was apparently hidden in one of the flower pots near the entrance of the hotel," hotel employee Khurram Ahmed told reporters at the scene. "The blast was huge. It shook everyone in the hotel."
Hotel security guard Mohammad Salem said he heard a powerful explosion.
"Broken glasses flew around us. I felt a shock and fell down. There was blood on the floor around me. We don't know what was the source of the blast but it was a very powerful blast," Salem said.
A Western guest who has worked for many years with international security forces was inside the hotel when the explosion occurred and said he doubted it was caused by an electrical short circuit.
He said there was no interruption to the power supply in the hotel at the time of the explosion.
When told on Thursday night hotel employees said they believed the blast was caused by a bomb, Pakistani Information Minister Shaikh Rasheed told reporters: "That's not true. It was an electrical short circuit."
Yesterday morning, Rasheed said nothing had changed to alter his opinion. "It was just an accident caused by short circuiting and nothing else."
Electrical Unit
Cheema said the source of the explosion appeared to be from an electrical unit above the entrance and said the fact the hotel lobby had a lot of air pressure built up.
"If your room is virtually airtight, even of if one electricity bulb bursts, it produces a big sound," he said.
"These buildings are under high pressure so hence the bang was created," he said.
A Westerner who lives near the Marriott said he heard the blast and, from initial sounds, expected to see the hotel in flames.
"I live about half a mile away and it sounded like it was outside my house. When I saw it wasn't I immediately thought it must be the Marriott," he said.
The Marriott is one of the most popular hotels in Islamabad for foreign diplomats, media and business people, and guests said US military troops were staying there but checked out immediately after the explosion.
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