After a bus fell into the canyon, rescuers and bystanders gathered around the wreckage.
- Nine Chinese workers were among the 13 people killed in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday.
- An explosion on a bus caused it to wash down the ravine.
- China described it as an “explosion” and an “attack”, although the Pakistani authorities stated that the nature of the explosion is under investigation.
Government and police officials said that a bus exploded on Wednesday, causing a bus to rush down a canyon in northwestern Pakistan, killing 13 people, 9 of whom were Chinese workers.
China described it as an “explosion” and an “attack”, although the Pakistani authorities stated that the nature of the explosion is under investigation.
A local government official who asked not to be named told AFP that the bus was carrying Chinese engineers, surveyors and mechanics to the construction site of the Dasu Dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
He said: “The explosion caused the engine to catch fire and the vehicle fell into the ravine.” 28 other Chinese were injured.
A senior local police official who asked not to be named confirmed the incident and said: “This is a serious explosion, but its nature is not yet clear.”
The safety of Chinese workers has long been a concern of Pakistan. Many of them are stationed in the country and are responsible for overseeing and building infrastructure projects.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian expressed “shock and condemnation” of the bombing and urged Pakistan to “severely punish” the perpetrators and “effectively protect” Chinese citizens and interests.
The Chinese Embassy in Islamabad stated that “a project of a Chinese company in Pakistan was attacked, resulting in the death of a Chinese citizen”.
It urged Chinese companies in the country to strengthen their security procedures.
In April this year, the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the fatal suicide bombing in the luxury hotel hosting the Chinese ambassador in southwestern Balochistan.
The organization recently claimed that there were a series of attacks not only in Pakistan’s turbulent tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan, but also in the country’s cities, including the capital Islamabad.
In recent years, Beijing has invested billions of dollars in Pakistan to promote the country’s infrastructure construction.
But Chinese-funded projects have caused dissatisfaction, especially among separatist groups, who say that locals see little benefit and most of the work is given to outsiders.
In 2019, gunmen attacked a luxury hotel in Balochistan overlooking the Gwadar Deepwater Seaport, a flagship project supported by China, which provided China with a strategic access to the Arabian Sea-killing at least eight people.
In June last year, the Baloch rebels targeted the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi, the commercial capital, partly owned by Chinese companies.
