Car Bomb Causes Fire at Lima Sheraton, Guests Flee

A car bomb left by Marxist guerrillas exploded in the basement parking garage of the 20-story Hotel Sheraton, setting off a fire and forcing evacuation of three floors of the downtown building, police said.

No one was reported hurt in the Monday night explosion and fire, police said. It was the third car bomb attack in Lima since Sunday.

A rental car with an estimated 20 pounds of dynamite hidden in the trunk exploded on the second level of the parking garage at 9:45 p.m., police said. The first blast was followed by at least four smaller explosions, apparently caused when the flames reached the gasoline tanks and tires of nearby cars, according to police.

The blast caused panic among many guests in the 451-room hotel. Smoke billowed into the lobby and drifted to upper floors, forcing the evacuation after midnight of guests on the first three.

An official of Peru’s bomb squad told the Associated Press that the attack appeared to be the work of the pro-Cuban Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement.

By daylight, the fire had been extinguished in the basement, and hotel administrators said guests had returned to their rooms. They said the hotel was about 40% occupied.

The explosion at the hotel was the second car bombing Monday in Lima. A car bomb exploded just before dawn beside the local headquarters of Citibank, injuring two bystanders.