Hotel short-circuit hurts 6 in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – An explosion caused by a short-circuit in the lobby of the Marriott hotel in the Pakistani capital Thursday injured at least six people, including two foreigners, authorities said.

The explosion at the heavily guarded hotel raised the level of tension in a country that has seen more than its share of terrorist attacks. But police and government officials said it appeared to have been an accident.

“There is no evidence so far of any terrorist activity or any (bomb) blast,” saide Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao. “It is apparently a case of short circuiting. We are going to have a thorough investigation of the whole place.”

Television footage showed blood and piles of shattered glass at the destroyed entrance to the luxury hotel, a center for visiting dignitaries and businesspeople.

Islamabad’s police chief, Liaqat Ali, confirmed the blast was caused by crossed wires in an electrical outlet near the hotel’s entrance. “It was not a bomb, it was a short-circuit,” he said.