Czech ambassador killed in Pakistan carnage

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 21 (AFP): Rescue teams Sunday continued the hunt for survivors in the ruins of Islamabad's Marriott Hotel, where a massive truck bomb killed at least 60 people including the Czech ambassador to Pakistan.
The Czech foreign ministry confirmed that Ambassador Ivo Zdarek had been killed in the blast, without giving further details.
Earlier, embassy officials told AFP that Zdarek called his embassy from inside the hotel moments after the explosion asking to be rescued, but had not been heard from since.
Czech media reports said police had pulled the diplomat's body from the smouldering ruins.
Around 200 people were wounded in the suicide attack Saturday night in the heart of the capital, which came just hours after Pakistan's new president gave his inaugural address to parliament and vowed to stamp out terrorism.
The bombing also came on the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden's call for Pakistani Muslims to unleash jihad or holy war against the government, a vital ally in the US-led "war on terror" that has cracked down on militants.
The brazen attack appeared to have been timed to inflict maximum casualties, ripping through the hotel when it was packed with families having dinner to break the daily fast in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
"It has the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda," a senior official involved in the investigation told AFP. "It was an Al-Qaeda style bombing."
The official said investigators believe up to 600 kilos (1,300 pounds) of explosives were packed into the truck, which exploded in a giant fireball at the security gate and tore an enormous crater in the ground.
The blast ignited gas cylinders in the kitchen, setting off a blaze that swept through the 300-room hotel. A security official said some victims leapt to their deaths rather than be burnt alive on the upper floors.
Pieces of human flesh were still scattered outside the hotel Sunday morning. The intense heat inside kept rescuers, who were wearing masks and chemical protection suits, from getting inside most of the destroyed building.
A senior security official said at least 60 people were dead. The government put the confirmed toll at 41, and it was not known how many people might still be unaccounted for. Bodies pulled from the debris were burnt beyond recognition.
The bombing is a serious challenge to new President Asif Ali Zardari, who faces a desperate battle against Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants whose campaign of violence has killed 1,300 people in Pakistan this year.
"We will rid the country of this cancer," Zardari, who took office less than two weeks ago, said in a message to the nation after the attack. "I appeal to all democratic forces to come and save Pakistan."
But analysts say the ability to carry out such a massive bombing at one of the most secure sites in the capital, not far from parliament and the prime minister's residence, is an unmistakable sign of the militants' reach.
Saturday's attack was the worst yet in the capital. It came six months after a civilian government took power and a month after it forced U.S. ally Musharraf to step down as president.
A crater up to 20 feet deep was in the road in front of the gates of the hotel, which had been bombed twice before. The Interior Ministry said the bomb probably contained more than 500 kg (1,100 lb) of explosives.