Blast hits Pakistan luxury hotel

The Marriott is one of only two five-star hotels in Islamabad

A powerful explosion has hit the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, injuring five people.

Officials say the blast was apparently caused by an electrical short-circuit.

BBC correspondent Zaffar Abbas reports a scene of real devastation around the city centre building, one of only two five-star hotels in the city.

Glass and other debris are littering the street outside and police have cordoned off the area.

Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said: "There is nothing to worry about".

"It is apparently a case of a short-circuit. We are investigating," Reuters news agency quoted the minister as saying at the hotel.

Islamabad's police chief, Liaqat Ali, agreed. "It was not a bomb, it was a short-circuit," he said. "We are at the scene."

Popular hotel

Police said the explosion occurred at around 2135 local time (1735 GMT).

Blood could be seen on the ground and at least one injured man was carried out of the building on a stretcher, Reuters reported.

Officials said two of the injured were foreigners, including an employee at the US embassy in the city.

The Marriott is one of the most popular hotels in Islamabad for foreign media and business people.

A bomb attack on the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, in August last year killed 12 people.