Unmoved, unmoving camera

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Closed-circuit television clips now offer an unprecedented ringside view of blasts, blood and carnage, making voyeurs of us all. Often, the suicide bombers of the Southasian Northwest tend to blow themselves up in public spaces or secured spots that have CCTV cameras. Such video sentinels do little to prevent the carnage, but provide us with graphic real-time playback of the last tragic moments before the explosion.

In the clips taken during the 20 September 2008 Marriott Hotel blast in Islamabad, a truck is seen coming to a halt at the hotel's gate. There is a small detonation, which results in a fire in the driver's compartment. The hotel guards scatter then mill about in confusion, like faraway mannequins in the unmoving frame. One comes up with a fire extinguisher and gingerly starts spraying the cabin. Then the blast happens.

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