At least six dead after suicide bomber targets Danish embassy in Pakistan

The huge blast, believed to be the work of a suicide bomber, also injured more than a dozen people and has left a large crater in the city.

Witnesses said a car filled with explosives was rammed into the house next to the embassy, damaging both buildings in the up-market district of Islamabad.

Blast: Rescue workers carry a victim into an ambulance outside the Danish embassy

A senior police officer said the blast was thought to have been caused by a suicide bomber using a car to detonate the device.

Two of the dead were policemen and another was a Pakistani guard.

A witness said that one body was just inside the gate of the embassy and two were outside.

Witnesses said people were being carried off on stretchers after the blast, which took place at around midday local time.

Rescue workers dragged away at least one bloodied person, covering his torso with an orange blanket.

Fatal: A body lies in front of the embassy

Residents also reported people running back and forth in a state of panic after the explosion. And shattered glass, fallen masonry and dozens of wrecked vehicles littered the area.

There was also a huge dark cloud of smoke in the sky above the buildings. 

Interior Ministry secretary Kamal Shah confirmed there had been a blast outside the embassy but had no further details.

Impact: The bomb blast left a giant crater in the ground

Denmark has faced threats at its embassies following the reprinting in Danish newspapers of a caricature depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

Muslims generally consider depicting the prophet to be sacrilegious.

"Since the printing of cartoons, we always had this fear," said Sana Khalid, a resident of the area.

"But what they did to our religion, they deserve it," she said.