KARACHI, March 2: Four people, including an American diplomat, were killed and 54 others wounded when an explosive-laden car rammed into the diplomat’s vehicle yards away from the US consulate-general here on Thursday.

The blast took place in a narrow lane between the five-star Marriott Hotel and a naval establishment in one of the high security areas in the city.

“It was a suicide attack and we have found important clues to suspects. We have collected evidence and we are working on it. Many things will be clear by Friday evening,” city police chief Niaz Ahmed Siddiki said at a news conference.

The police official evaded most of the questions saying he could not divulge information at this stage of investigation.

He disagreed with a suggestion that the vehicle carrying the US citizen was the target and said that the suicide bomber might have detonated the explosives after he failed to move forward owing to tight security.

Mr Siddiki identified three of the dead as US consulate official David Fyfe, his Pakistani chauffeur Iftikhar and Rangers official Lance Naik Zafar. He said the body of the fourth man was mutilated beyond recognition and he might be the suicide bomber.

He said the explosive substance might have weighed between 10 and 15 kilograms. “Investigations are being carried out into the nature of the explosive used in the blast,” he added.

Investigators told Dawn that the explosive-laden car had been parked outside the naval establishment. When the convoy carrying the US official appeared, the bomber rammed his vehicle into the bullet-proof car. The five-door vehicle flew up into the air before landing across a concrete barrier on the pavement of Marriot. Only its chassis and tyres were identifiable.

Remains of the bomber’s car landed several feet into the naval establishment.

The severity of the blast may be gauged from the fact that it was heard miles away. The windowpanes of Marriott were shattered with splinters hitting several guests. The concrete wall of the naval establishment was partially damaged as was the rear portion of Marriott.

Acting DIG Investigation Mir Zubair Mehmood told media that 28 of the injured were taken to the Jinnah Post-graduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and the rest to PN Shifa.

He said 14 vehicles had been destroyed.

Rangers Hawaldar Muhammad Jafar, who was on duty near the consulate’s gate and suffered injuries in the blast, said: “As the vehicles were approaching the consulate, a huge blast took place. Something hit me on the head, knocking me out.”

Six employees of Marriot were among the injured.

“I was inside the hotel doing routine work when the blast occurred. I and some other colleagues ran out of the hotel fearing that some incident had taken place in the hotel,” said Jehangir, one of the employees.

Among the injured was eight-year-old Moroccan girl, Jhita, who was in the hotel at the time of the blast, JPMC sources said.

AFP adds: A US official speaking on condition of anonymity said it appeared the bomber had ‘targeted’ the diplomat.

Investigators said they believed the bomber was a man in his early 20s who parked behind the Marriott about 30 minutes before the attack, walked into the hotel, then returned to sit in the car.

“As soon as the diplomatic vehicle entered the lane, he switched on the ignition and reversed the car at high speed into the US vehicle,” a senior investigator said