A bomb exploded at a major hotel Tuesday in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing at least five people, the city’s district coordination officer said.
At least 25 others were wounded in the suspected attack on the Pearl Continental Hotel, according to Sahib Zada Muhammad Anis Khan. CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson, who has stayed at the hotel, said it is favored by diplomats and is next door to a police station and near a major army barracks. Peshawar bomb disposal squad Inspector Hukam Khan confirmed soon after the explosion that a car bomb caused the destruction. Peshawar is the capital of North West Frontier Province, which has suffered a spate of bombings on civilian targets in the wake of the Pakistani military’s ongoing military offensive against Taliban militants. Video showed emergency vehicles and medics surrounding the blast site. Cars outside the hotel were damaged by the impact of the blast. The hotel is owned by the same group as the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, which was destroyed last year in an attack.
