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Many people are believed to have died or suffered serious injuries after a car-bomb attack on the Marriott Hotel in Pakistan's capital Islamabad.
Reports said a suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into the entrance of the hotel.
Many foreigners stay in the hotel while visiting Pakistan and it is heavily guarded.
The blast resounded through Islamabad.
There were reports of bodies being carried away from the hotel as emergency services continued to rescue people trapped in the hotel.
Casualties
Reuters news agency reported that at least 27 people had been killed.
Kamala Hyder, Al Jazeera's correspondent reporting from Islamabad, said it is "probably the most powerful explosion [in Pakistan] in recent times.
"Fires are still raging and no one knows how many people have been killed in the explosion."
Imran Khan, also reporting for Al Jazeera, said he had seen a number of bodies removed from the scene of the explosion.
He said driver of the vehicle did not go through the security checkpoint.
"This is a massive explosion. Fire is spreading very quickly and has taken over the entire first floor of the hotel," Khan said.
Soldiers killed
The Islamabad bombing came on the heels of another which left at least eight Pakistani soldiers dead in a suicide attack on a military convoy in the country's northwest tribal region.
The attack took place as the troops passed through North Waziristan on Saturday, a security official said.
"Eight soldiers have died and some 12 others were injured," the official said, adding the death toll may increase.
Al Jazeera's Hyder said many soldiers had been killed in attacks in the area before.
"This attack occurred on a stretch of road that has become known as IED-ally," he said, referring to the acronym for an improvised explosive device.
North Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan, is a sanctuary for al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters and has been the scene of fierce battles and suicide attacks over the past several years.
Unpopular campaign
A large number of Arab and Central Asian fighters linked to al-Qaeda are reported to be hiding near the town of Mir Ali, the site of Saturday's attack, officials said.
Pakistan's new government has committed itself to the US-led campaign against the fighters even though the campaign is unpopular throughout the country.
A senior official in the administration of George Bush, the US president, said on Friday Pakistan was not equipped to combat the fighters.
"This is a problem that's been created in sovereign Pakistani territory and the problem is going to be solved when Pakistan has an ability to exercise control over that territory," Stephen Hadley, Bush's national security adviser, said.
"We recognize that in the short term right now there are threats emanating out of that area that threaten Pakistan, that threaten our troops in Afghanistan and potentially threaten the homeland."
PHOTO CAPTION
Map locates Islamabad, Pakistan.
Al-Jazeera
