Blasts rock Pak ahead of Bush's visit

Karachi: Two car bombs exploded near the US consulate in Karachi, a day before US President George W Bush was due to visit Pakistan, killing two people and injuring over a dozen others, officials said.

Reacting on the blasts, US President George W Bush said, "We have lost one US citizen in the Karachi blasts. He was a foreign service officer. Terrorists and killers will not prevent me from going to Pakistan."

"It is an important trip and you cannot negotiate with terrorists. Free nations must come together to fight terror. India is an example of how people of different faiths can live together," he added.

The US President is currently on a five-day tour of the Indian subcontinent.

One bomb exploded outside the consulate, setting at least 10 cars on fire. Another bomb exploded at about the same time in the parking lot of a nearby hotel. Soon after the blast, Pakistan officials confirmed that President Bush's visit is on schedule.

The explosions ripped through the car park of the five-star Marriott Hotel adjacent to the consulate, destroying at least 10 cars and damaging others including some from the US mission.

"We are investigating the motives behind the blasts but apparently it coincided with the visit of Bush," said Salahuddin Haider, spokesman for the government of Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital.

Karachi Police Assistant Superintendent Javed Akbar said that a low-intensity blast was heard in the parking lot of the hotel, quickly followed by a much larger explosion.

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"Two people are dead and over a dozen were injured in the blasts," he said.

He later said it was not yet clear if the bombs were placed in one car or two vehicles, but insisted they were "certainly" car bombs.

Clouds of black smoke spewed from the blazing cars and charred wreckage was strewn across the scene as a fleet of ambulances arrived to evacuate casualties.

One vehicle was completely destroyed and officials said it may be the one in which at least one of the bombs went off.

Firefighters tried to tackle the inferno and police cordoned off the area.

The US consulate is only separated from the blast site by a small lane.

A number of shops at the upscale Sheraton hotel close to the site also suffered blast damage and the wall of the neighbouring Pakistan Navy hospital was also hit.

With AFP inputs