Explosions rocked two hotels in the Jordanian capital late Wednesday, killing at least seven people and sending ambulances screaming across downtown. The cause of the explosions was unclear. The first bomb, at 8:50 local time (1:50 p.m. EST), struck the Grand Hyatt, completely shattering the stone entrance. An AP reporter saw at least seven bodies removed from the hotel, and many more wounded carried out on stretchers.Police said a second explosion hit a wedding hall at the nearby Radisson SAS hotel, and there were believed to be casualties. Both hotels, in the commercial Jebel Amman district, are frequented by American and European businessmen and diplomats. One police official said scores of people were believed killed.
"We're evacuating people from the hotel. Some are dead and there are many wounded," he said of the first attack. An American businessman who was at the Grand Hyatt when the explosion occurred, said a "bomb that went off in the lobby." He declined to identify himself.