The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Islamabad

A suicide car bombing outside the Danish embassy in the Pakistani capital Islamabad killed at least eight people and wounded nearly 30 others, state television and officials said Monday.

The blast left a huge crater outside the embassy, damaging the building and a nearby development agency. Several cars were destroyed by the force of the explosion and some were on fire, an AFP reporter said.

Denmark had downgraded the embassy and moved out most foreign staff in recent months due to threats linked to a row over the reproduction in February of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in Danish media, diplomatic sources said.

"It was a suicide attack carried out in a vehicle, apparently targeting the Denmark embassy," a senior Pakistani security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Government-run Pakistan television said at least eight people were killed in the blast and several more injured. Other channels showed smoke rising above the scene.

Another security official said at least five had been killed, including two policemen stationed outside the embassy, and 28 others wounded.

There was no immediate comment from Danish officials. Officials from the nearby Netherlands embassy said their staff were unhurt and the building was not affected.

Ambulances rushed away carrying casualties including a security guard covered in blood, and police sealed off the area. Several trees near the scene were also ablaze.

"I was in my room and there was a huge blast and the windows smashed. I was hit by a sharp object and am bleeding from my leg," said Mohammad Dilshad, who lives near the embassy.

A worker at the development agency, the UN-backed Devolution Trust for Community Development, said he arrived at his office seconds after the explosion.

"I saw blood and smoke and the trees were burning and debris was in the air settling down. Our building looked like it had been destroyed," Mohammad Salim told AFP.

"I heard cries for help. I saw five people on the street lying on the ground in a pool of blood. I got to the first injured and thought he was dead but he was still breathing. We put him in a car and sent him to hospital," he added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

The attack was the first in Islamabad since a bomb blast at an Italian restaurant frequented by foreigners on March 15 killed a Turkish woman and wounded 10 foreigners, including four US FBI staff.

Pakistan has experienced a lull in suicide attacks since a new government came to power in March and began peace talks with Taliban militants based in Pakistan's tribal region bordering Afghanistan.