Blast Kills Four Outside Danish Embassy in Pakistan

At least four people were killed and dozens injured today in a large bomb blast in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad outside the Danish embassy.

Dawn News TV aired footage from the scene showing wrecked cars caught in the explosion and a large crater in the ground.

The bomb, thought to have been hidden in a car, went off just outside the embassy at around 1pm local time (0815 BST).

Witnesses described seeing the engine block of a vehicle blown 50 metres down the road.

"I was with a friend passing through a nearby street. Then we heard a big bang," said Muhammad Akhtar.

"Then we saw smoke and people running in a frenzy. We shifted at least eight or nine injured to hospitals. They all have got serious injuries. They were soaked in blood."

After the blast, TV footage showed rescue workers dragging one victim away from the scene, his torso covered with an orange blanket.

Another victim was killed just inside the embassy grounds. One of the dead appeared to be a Pakistani guard.

Anjum Masood, a field operations manager for a Pakistani development organization based opposite the embassy, said dozens of its 100 employees had been wounded, most by flying glass. His own left hand was bandaged.

He said the agency had been worried about its location, opposite the embassy. "We tried to voice our concern that it should be moved," he said. "We were under a lot of threat."

Denmark's embassy is located in a residential area of Islamabad, separate from the city's diplomatic enclave.

The building itself was not severely damaged by the blast, although a section of the embassy wall was destroyed.

Taliban- and al-Qaida-linked militants have launched a wave of bombings in Pakistan over the past year, mostly targeting security forces.

Danish newspapers infuriated Muslims around the world when they published cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad in late 2005.

In April this year, Denmark briefly evacuated staff from its embassies in Algeria and Afghanistan because of terror threats related to the Muhammad drawings.