A suicide car bomber rammed a diplomatic vehicle outside the US consulate in Karachi yesterday, killing an American diplomat and four other people, but President George W. Bush vowed that "terrorists and killers" would not stop him visiting Pakistan.

The attack came less than two days before Bush is scheduled to make a high-security trip to Pakistan, a key ally in the US-led "war on terror", although he was due to go to the capital Islamabad and not to Karachi.

Bush himself announced that a US diplomat had died in the blast at a news conference in New Delhi, where he is on the second leg of a South Asian tour that has also taken in Afghanistan.

"I have been briefed on the bombings and we have lost at least one US citizen in the bombings -- a foreign service officer," Bush said following talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"Terrorists and killers are not going to prevent me from going to Pakistan," he added.

The explosion ripped through the car park of the nearby five-star

Marriott Hotel in the southern city's highest security zone, destroying at least 10 cars, damaging others, including some from the US mission, and smashing windows.

A Pakistani security official told AFP on condition of anonymity that a 4x4 vehicle belonging to the US consulate "was apparently hit by a suicide car bomber, blowing it into the air".

"The car flew through the air and fell on the other side of a seven-foot high (two-metre) wall. One diplomat was killed and two other

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US diplomats were in it," he said.

The Pakistani driver employed by the consulate also died, the Pakistani government said.

Clouds of black smoke spewed from the blazing cars and charred vehicle and body parts were strewn across the Marriott car park as paramedics and firefighters rushed to the scene.

Pakistani police said five people were killed, also including a paramilitary soldier on security duty in the area, a woman and a man whose head was torn off by the explosion.

Hospitals in Karachi said at least 46 people were wounded, including five paramilitary troops, four police and some Marriott staff members. Many of the wounded had burn injuries, officials said.

Karachi police Assistant Superintendent Javed Akbar said the blast left a crater three feet deep and 10 feet wide. Parts of a blazing car ended up inside the hotel lobby, he said.

Eyewitness Mohammad Niaz said he saw the paramilitary soldier who died in the blast ordering the occupant of a suspect vehicle not to park on the road. "Soon afterwards there was a massive explosion," he told AFP.

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid said the bombing was by extremists who wanted to create problems in the region. "This attack will not impact the visit of President Bush," he said.