5 Chinese engineers killed in suicide bomb attack in Pakistan, probe under way

The force of the blast also killed the Pakistani driver of the bus, hurling it down a gorge onto the banks of the Indus River, said Sheraz Khan, station head of the official Rescue 1122 emergency service.

The bodies of the six victims were recovered after the fire on board the wrecked bus was extinguished.

The victims had been identified as employees of Wuhan-based engineering firm China Gezhouba Group Co., said Rehmat Ali, a Dasu project official.

The bus was travelling in a convoy of a dozen vehicles, most of them carrying security personnel guarding the Chinese nationals, when it was struck.

No terrorist group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

It was the third major attack on Chinese interests in Pakistan in a week, after an airbase and a port were hit in the province of Balochistan.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has condemned the attack, saying Islamabad would carry on its fight against militants.

In July 2021, nine Chinese nationals working on the World Bank-funded Dasu project were killed in a vehicular suicide bombing.

Local resident Muhammad Hayat Khan said he was at home on Tuesday preparing for afternoon prayers when he heard two explosions.

Upon reaching the nearby highway, he found the burning remains of the bomber’s vehicle and the bus that was targeted.

Besham police chief Juma Rehman said an investigation had been launched.

“We will investigate from where and how the vehicle of the suicide bomber came and how it happened,” he said.

In a statement, Pakistan’s military described the terrorist attacks in Besham and Balochistan province as “dastardly acts aimed at destabilising the internal security situation”.

Addressing the killing of the five Chinese nationals in Besham, it said: “The whole nation