Islamabad, July 20: At least two people have been arrested after a 21-year-old American woman reported she was gang raped at a hotel in Pakistan.

The alleged victim was visiting a tourist resort in the eastern Punjab province, officials said on Wednesday, having arrived in Pakistan three weeks ago.

Police said one of those arrested is the woman's host, who took her to a hotel in Dera Ghazi Khan - where she says she was sexually assaulted this week.

Officers said they are still investigating how the woman was lured and taken to a hotel by the two men accused of raping her.

The US embassy in Islamabad said that its consulate in Pakistan's city of Lahore was ready to provide consular services to the alleged victim.

"The protection of US citizens overseas is the highest priority of the US Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad," it said.

It said "out of respect for the privacy of the alleged victim, we cannot comment on the specifics of the allegation".

Although sexual abuse against Pakistani women is common, such crimes against foreigners are rare.

Pakistani authorities have not commented further about the status of the arrest or with details of any court proceedings.

The Associated Press commented that many Pakistani women don't report such incidents to avoid stigma in a society where rapists often escape justice because of flaws in the legal system and poor investigations by police.-Agencies