(AKI) - At least 25 people have been killed in the explosion at a hotel in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday. According to a report on the website of the Pakistani television channel Geo TV, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the Marhaba Hotel in Peshwar's old city and the blast managed to demolish the building. The hotel was said to be popular with Afghans and was filled with people having lunch when the explosion occurred. Peshawar is the capital of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) which borders Afghanistan. According to the Geo TV report, 23 of the 25 people killed have been indentified and they include two women and a 7-year-old child. The report quoted the provincial information minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai as saying that the police found two severed legs at the site. One leg was said to bear a marking in the Pashtu language saying "This will be fate of those who are American spies".
Pakistan's interior secretary Syed Kamal Shah confirmed that the blast was an act of terrorism but said that it was still "premature to comment" on who could be behind the attack. He said that a special team had been sent to Peshawar to investigate the incident. Various political and religious groups have condemned the blasts and the chief minister of the province Akram Durrani has said that there will be a 100,000 rupees (1,666 dollars) compensation for the families of the victims.