An assassin's bomb thrown at Britain's new High Commissioner in Bangladesh bounced off him today before exploding and killing two men, report agencies.

Anwar Choudhury, 44, who had only been in the diplomatic post since the beginning of the month, survived with only minor injuries. He described his amazing escape from the attack, mounted as he left noon prayers at the Muslim Hazrat Shahjalal shrine in Sylhet:

"The bomb hit my stomach after it was hurled, but did not explode. It fell on the ground near the foot of the district chief and then exploded with a big bang," he was quoted as saying. 

He was flown to the capital Dhaka by a military helicopter after emergency treatment at a hospital in Sylhet, and the  injury on his right leg "is not critical," the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry said .

Two Bangladeshi men were killed and about 100 people injured, including the chief government administrator of the district and Mr Choudhury's bodyguard, said police.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he was "deeply shocked" by the bombing. It is unclear who carried out the attack.

Bangladeshi-born Mr Choudhury was fast tracked into his high level job following a career in industry, the RAF, Ministry of Defence and Cabinet Office.

His family is originally from the Sylhet region, 120 miles north-east of Dhaka, and his visit to the mosque was widely publicised. Married with two children, a son aged 10 and a daughter of 18 months, his hobbies include cricket, bridge and "an addiction for Bangladeshi cuisine," said the BBC.

Straw sent his sympathies to the victims of the attack.  "Details of exactly what happened and the nature of the injuries are not clear. We are grateful for the support we are receiving from the Bangladeshi authorities," he said.