A suicide bomb attack at a luxury hotel in the Pakistani city of Peshawar has claimed the lives of at least 15 people and left dozens injured.

The dead include two United Nations workers, while many foreigners are among the injured.

Gunmen shot their way through the outer security barrier of the Pearl Continental hotel on Tuesday evening and rammed a van packed with explosives into the five-star hotel, causing massive destruction. One section of the building is completely destroyed.

Peshawar is situated near the Swat valley in the north-west of the country where the recent government offensive against the Taliban was concentrated. It is the seventh deadly bombing to hit the city in a month as fears grow that Taliban militants are exacting revenge for the government action.

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