Bulgaria hotel blast kills two

At least two people have died and several others have been injured in an explosion in a hotel in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.

Local media quoted the Interior Ministry as saying the blast was caused by a bomb, but police have not confirmed this.

The bomb destroyed half the hotel building

The explosion shook the ground floor of the Hotel Ambassador, which is situated in a residential district where many diplomats live.

It was said to have destroyed half of the hotel and damaged several nearby buildings.

The Interior Ministry originally reported four dead, but a doctor on the scene later told national radio that one of the supposed bodies was just a pile of clothes.

Two of the dead are believed to be foreigners.

Warning

Bulgarian radio said the authorities had received warning of the blast.

A woman claiming to be a member of staff at the hotel phoned the police to say that an explosive device had been planted there.

Police have cordoned off the area around the hotel and public transport has been halted in the vicinity.

Sofia is normally a quiet city with a comparatively low rate of violent crime.