British Airways has halted all flights to Pakistan following the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, a spokesman for the airline has confirmed this morning.

"We have temporarily suspended our flight operations in Pakistan following Saturday's suicide attack," Sohail Rehman, a spokesman for British Airways, said.

The last flight from London to Islamabad, the only destination served by the airline in Pakistan, operated yesterday. It departed as rescuers picked their way through the smouldering ruins of the hotel, looking for more bodies after the huge bomb devastated the building in one of country's worst terrorist attacks.

The death toll stood this morning at 53, with 266 wounded, after a bomber blew up a lorry containing 600kg of explosive on Saturday evening. The body of Ivo Zdarek, the Czech Ambassador, was among those pulled from the rubble. Mr Zdarek, 47, moved to Islamabad only in August. Two Americans, said to be US Defence Department employees, were also killed in the blast but their identities were not revealed.

The bombing happened after dusk on Saturday, when hundreds of people were dining in several restaurants inside the hotel. Closed-circuit TV footage showed the driver of the lorry ramming into the security gates but failing to breach a second barrier.

Rehman Malik, an Interior Ministry official, said that the attacker intended to drive into the lobby of the hotel and had apparently tried to convince the guards to lower the second barrier. When they would not, he blew himself up in the lorry's cabin. The guards then tried to put out the fire in the lorry, and it was several minutes before the second, enormous blast devastated the Marriott.

Abdur Rehman, 45, who was on security duty, said: "The bomber fired several shots in the air when we tried to stop him, scaring us all away. Then after a few minutes the truck exploded with a massive blast, setting the building on fire." Mohammed Latif, who was in the hotel car park, said: "The entire area was engulfed in thick smoke and pieces of glass and debris was flying all over. People, many of them stained in blood, came rushing out from a side gate." Akbar Khan, a World Bank employee, was dining with friends at one of the hotel's restaurants when he heard a thud, and then a huge blast. "I saw people scaling 12ft walls at the back of the hotel to save their lives," Mr Khan, whose head and arms were injured, said.

Rescue teams searched the blackened building room by room but were hampered by fires still burning some areas 24 hours after the explosion. "There could be some charred bodies inside," a senior official said.

At least two Britons were among the hundreds wounded in the attack, which had the luxury hotel in the capital's high-security zone in flames for several hours, destroying the five-storey building. Both were discharged from hospital after treatment for minor injuries.

Nine years, three defeats, two wipeouts and one absent superstar since the last time it belonged to the United States, the Ryder Cup changed hands Sunday at Valhalla Golf Club, where the routine cheer was just as unexpected as the outcome.

"Red, white, Boo!"

For sure, the homespun Boo Weekley inspired the U.S. team and its fans, but it still wasn't easy coming up with a blueprint for success that didn't include top-ranked Tiger Woods - who is recovering from season-ending knee surgery. Yet that is exactly how the underdog U.S. team played it, winning 16 ½-11 ½, with a trump of Europe's aces that most observers didn't expect.

Sergio Garcia of Spain, Lee Westwood of England and Padraig Harrington of Ireland didn't win a match in three days. When Anthony Kim, a 23-year-old Ryder Cup rookie, put a bruising, 5-and-4 defeat on Garcia in the first of the day's 12 singles matches, the Americans were off and running.

Jim Furyk's 2-and-1 victory over Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain in the eighth match secured the victory, giving the United States the 14 ½ points it needed, and it was over with four matches in progress.

And so, after standing in mute misery, watching back-to-back-to-back victory celebrations of group singing, flag waving and Guinness swilling by the European side, it was somebody else's turn to smile.

"I'm coming out of my skin right now, I'm so excited," said Kim, who was 2-1-1 and set the tone for the pressure-soaked last day with the way he handled Garcia. "We're feeling pretty proud of ourselves."

Paul Azinger, the first-time U.S. captain, led the celebratory parade in his red golf cart, speeding down a fairway past fans holding large flags.

U.S. players quickly joined the act around the clubhouse. Weekley removed his cap and bowed. Furyk fought back tears of joy. J.B. Holmes raised his arms to encourage fans to raise the roof. Phil Mickelson grinned, as usual. Hunter Mahan and Kenny Perry waved American flags from the clubhouse veranda.

Then the champagne came out, and its spray filled the air. Azinger emptied the contents of one bottle on Weekley's head.

On the raucous scale, this one bordered on subdued, but it was surely satisfying. The previous U.S. victory was in 1999 in Brookline, Mass.

Perhaps because that was so long ago, the U.S. team came up with a boisterous performance and won by its largest margin since 1981.