At least nine people were injured as the Marriott Hotel in Pakistani capital caught fire on Thursday.

Blaze erupted in the multi-storied Marriott Hotel and gutted its first floor, including the lobby, the News Network International (NNI) news agency quoted witnesses as saying.

There was no official conformation about the cause of the blaze.

People near the hotel said they heard a small blast and the hotel management said a gas boiler exploded due to fire.

Fire fighters rushed to the hotel to control the blaze but the fire burnt the first floor and also affected the second floor, reported the NNI.

Ambulances rushed to the hotel and shifted the injured to a local hospital. The injured are stated to be laborers who were busy with the reconstruction of the hotel.

The hotel was damaged by a suicide bombing attack in September last year when a truck loaded with explosives hit its main gate and left around 60 people dead.

The hotel was reopened in December last year after it was refurbished.

(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2009)