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Peshawar PC blast death toll reaches 17

By Manzoor Ali Shah

PESHAWAR: Six more bodies were recovered from the debris of the damaged portion of the Peal Continental Hotel in Peshawar on Wednesday, including that of the hotel’s general manager, raising the toll of Tuesday’s suicide attack to 17.

The military joined the operation to clear the debris but officials said it would take another day to clear the site.

CCTV footage showed a speeding white car entering the hotel closely followed by a mini-truck. A security guard removes the barrier to check the car but runs towards the hotel lawn after seeing the truck. He then begins firing at the vehicle before it explodes. There was no other resistance.

Rescue workers and investigators scoured the site for the dead and for clues to the devastating attack. The explosion destroyed five storeys of the hotel and the boundary wall between the hotel and the Flag Staff House. A police official said that the number of casualties could rise as more bodies were likely to be found under the debris. The Abdullah Uzaam Brigade, an Al Qaeda offshoot, claimed responsibility, a TV channel reported.

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