Czech ambassador among 53 dead in Islamabad blast

Rescuers pulled more bodies from the shell of the truck-bombed Marriott Hotel in Pakistan's capital Islamabad today, pushing the death toll from one of the country's worst-ever terrorist strikes to 53, including the Czech ambassador.

The hotel, a favourite spot for foreigners and the Pakistani elite - and a previous target of militants - still smouldered from a fire that raged for hours after the previous day's explosion, which also wounded more than 250 people.