ISLAMABAD, Sept 20 (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded outside the Marriott in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Saturday, killing at least 40 people and starting a fire which swept through the hotel.
The explosion happened hours after new President Asif Ali Zardari, widower of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, made his first address to a joint sitting of parliament.
"A car laden with explosives rammed the gate at the Marriott and so far we have brought out 40 dead bodies, but the number could well be higher," police chief Asghar Raza Gardazi said.