Pakistan rules out terror link in hotel blast

An explosion hit the Marriott Hotel in the central area of Pakistan's capital Islamabad yesterday, slightly injuring five people, but the government said it was not a terrorist attack.

"There is nothing to worry about. It is apparently a case of a short circuit. We are investigating," Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said at the hotel.

"There is no evidence of any terrorist activity or any (bomb) blast," he said.

Officials said the five injured people - two foreigners and three hotel employees - had been taken to hospital.

Glass and other debris were blown out the front of the hotel and through the lobby by the blast, witnesses said.

Hotel General Manager Clive Webster said the blast could have been caused by an electrical problem.

Pakistan is an ally of Washington in US President George W. Bush's war on terror.