She says that about two-thirds of the 290-room hotel is on fire, and the wounded and dead are still being brought out, on stretchers or wrapped in sheets.
She says the emergency services have been unable to reach the upper floors of the hotel, where more people are feared to be trapped.
A hotel employee, Mohammad Sultan, said he was in the reception when something exploded, forcing him to the ground.
"I don't understand what it was, but it was like the world is finished," he told the Associated Press news agency.
There are reports that the explosion brought down the ceiling of the banquet hall, where some 300 people were sharing a meal to break the fast during the holy month of Ramadan.
The Marriott is the most prestigious hotel in the capital, and is located near government buildings and diplomatic missions.
Security there is tight, with guests and vehicles subject to checks.
It is popular with foreigners visiting Pakistan or members of the expat community, and has previously been the target of militants.
Last year a suicide bomber killed himself and one other in an attack at the hotel.
Insurgency
The bomb attack comes just hours after Pakistan's newly installed President, Asif Ali Zardari, said he would not allow Pakistan's territory to be violated by terrorists or foreign powers fighting them.
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10:03 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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