3 Chinese citizens killed in Karachi bomb attack

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Three Chinese nationals have been killed and four others injured in a suicide attack in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi.

The bombing occurred outside the University of Karachi’s (KU) Confucius Institute on Tuesday, local officials said.

The suicide attack took place as a van, carrying staff members, was about to enter the Confucius Institute, Dawn reported.

CCTV footage showed a burqa-wearing woman standing outside the entrance to the Confucius Institute. She blew herself up as the van neared the institute’s entrance.

Sindh police chief Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar confirmed four fatalities, including three Chinese citizens. He said the blast happened at about 2:30pm.

The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the explosion.

The Chinese nationals were identified as Confucius Institute Director Huang Guiping, Ding Mupeng and Chen Sai. The fourth victim was the van’s driver.

The suicide attack was conducted by a woman, said Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) official Raja Umar Khattab.

In Islamabad, the Foreign Office (FO) denounced the “reprehensible terrorist attack”. FO spokesman Asim Iftikhar said the government and the people of Pakistan extended their deepest condolences to the families of the victims.

He added law-enforcement agencies were probing the incident to apprehend the culprits and bring them to justice.

mud

Visits: 136