A suicide bomber and a security guard were killed and four people were wounded in a blast at the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistani capital yesterday, the interior minister and officials told AFP.

"It was a suicide attack. The suicide attacker and a guard were killed," Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said by telephone.

"The attacker tried to enter the hotel and was stopped by the security guard and there was a scuffle and the blast occurred," he said.

"The attacker's body was totally mutilated. There is hardly any body left. His limbs were scattered around the area."

A senior security official also confirmed it was a suicide bombing.

"It is a suicide attack, the man approached the entrance and he was apparently stopped by the guard when the explosion occurred. The guard was also killed," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Four injured people were treated at the city's Poly Clinic hospital, a doctor said.

"We have received four casualties," doctor Murtaza Nadeem said. "One is serious and three others have minor injuries," he added.