Pakistan : At least 13 killed and over 30 injured in a bus blast
A bus transporting Chinese engineers was targeted in a bomb blast in Upper Kohistan, killing at least 13 people and injuring over 39 others, local sources said. It was unclear whether the explosion was caused by a roadside device or anything planted inside the bus at the time.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Chinese embassy said that “a certain project of a Chinese firm in Pakistan suffered an attack, which caused the deaths of Chinese nationals”. It urged Chinese firms to strengthen their security procedures and called for the swift arrest of the attackers.
Chinese engineers and construction workers are helping Pakistan build a dam in Kohistan. Arif Javed, a deputy commissioner said the Pakistani and Chinese construction workers were on their way to the project site when the accident happened. For several years, Chinese engineers and Pakistani construction workers have been working in the location where the explosion occurred on the Dasu hydroelectric project.
Such road accidents are common in Pakistan, where motorists largely disregard traffic rules and safety standards on damaged roads, particularly in the mountainous terrain in the north.
