Suicide attack kills six, including five Chinese engineers, in Pakistan
March 27 (UPI) -- Five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver are dead after a suicide bomber crashed his vehicle into their bus, authorities and officials said.
The explosion happened Tuesday afternoon as the bus was transporting the Chinese nationals from Islamabad to Kohistan city where they were working on a large-scale dam project.
"A huge amount of explosives were used in the attack, the force of which threw the bus into the ravine," Bisham Sub Divisional Police Officer Juma Rehman told local newspaper Dawn.
"We have also collected body parts of the suspected suicide bomber from the site."
No one has yet taken responsibility for the attack, though the Pakistani government is blaming it on "enemies of Pakistan-China friendship."
"The government of Pakistan strongly condemns this heinous act of terrorism," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement. "We will take all necessary measures to bring the terrorist and their facilitators to justice."
There are a large number of Chinese workers in Pakistan working on projects in the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The workers killed Tuesday were working on the Dasu Hydropower Project, which was being constructed by a Chinese company.
Following the attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan said he visited the Chinese embassy to express his condolences over "the dastardly act of terrorism."
He said the country's sympathies and prayers were with the victims and their families.
"Our two countries express firm resolve to bring the perpetrators of this heinous act to justice," he said on X.
China's foreign ministry has called on Pakistan to conduct a thorough investigation and hold those responsible to account.
"Meanwhile, we ask Pakistan to take effective measures to protect the safety and security of Chinese nationals, institutions and projects in Pakistan," the ministry said in a statement.
The U.S. State Department has also condemned the attack, with spokesman Matthew Miller stating in a Tuesday press conference that they are "deeply saddened by the lose of life and injuries sustained."
"The Pakistani people have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists, and I'll note that PRC nationals in Pakistan have also been the victims of terrorist attacks, and no country should suffer the acts of terror," he said, referring to China by the initials of its official name, the People's Republic of China.
The incident comes amid a spat of terrorist attacks in the country.
According to the Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan, two terrorist attacks were recently thwarted, including overnight Monday.
The service said four gunmen most recently attacked a Pakistan naval base in Turbat. The attackers were neutralized while one Pakistani soldier was killed in the firefight.
Following the attack on the convoy Tuesday, the ISRP released a statement explaining "certain foreign elements" are complicit in the recent terrorism strikes.
It said strategic projects and sensitive sites important to Pakistan's economy are being targeted to degrade its development and sow discord with its allies, notably China.
"With the unwavering support of the resilient nation and our iron-clad ally China, we will ensure that all those involved in aiding terrorism, directly or indirectly, are held accountable and find their due comeuppance," the ISRP said in the statement.
"Together, we will prevail over adversity and evil."
