2 Chinese killed in Jordan hotel bombings
(AP/chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-11-10 06:36

Suicide bombers attacked three hotels frequented by Westerners in the Jordanian capital Wednesday night, and at least 57 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in the near-simultaneous explosions, a top government official said.

A Xinhua report quoting the Chinese embassy there said two members of a Chinese military delegation, now visiting Jordan, were killed in one of the hotel bombings, and two more were injured, one seriously.

But the latest reports of people.com.cn said at least five Chinese were killed in the blasts, quoting local radio reports.

Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher gave the casualty estimate during an interview with CNN, in which he also said a car packed with explosives approached one of the hotels attacked in the heart of the capital. He said there was no claim of responsibility, but Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born leader of al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist group, was a "prime suspect."

Bodies of victims lay on ground outside the Days Inn hotel in central Amman November 9, 2005. At least 57 people were killed and scores wounded on Wednesday when three suspected suicide bombers blew themselves up in three hotels in Amman, a security source said. [Reuters]

Police Maj. Bashir al-Da'aja said officials believe the blasts at three U.S.-based hotels were carried out by suicide bombers. The explosions indicated the involvement of al-Qaida, which has launched coordinated attacks on high-profile, Western targets in the past, a police official said.

One explosion occurred in a wedding hall where 300 Jordanians were celebrating. Muasher said a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the wedding party. Black smoke rose into the night and wounded stumbled out of the hotels.

A U.S. counterterrorism official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said no one claimed responsibility for the attacks.

However, the official said, the strong suspicion is that al-Zarqawi was involved because of his known animosity for Jordan and the fact that suicide bombers were involved, one of his hallmarks.

In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the bombings "a great tragedy. It again shows that people will take innocent life without any remorse."

The body of a victim is moved into a car outside the Days Inn hotel in central Amman November 9, 2005. At least 57 people were killed and scores wounded on Wednesday when three suspected suicide bombers blew themselves up in three hotels in Amman. [Reuters]

She added that the bombings demonstrate the difficulty the nation is facing in the war on terrorism.

The first blast was reported at about 8:50 p.m. at the luxury Grand Hyatt hotel, popular with tourists and diplomats, and completely shattered its stone entrance.

An Associated Press reporter counted seven bodies being taken away and many more wounded being carried out on stretchers. Prime Minister Adnan Badran later arrived at the scene.