13 killed, including 9 Chinese nationals, in Pakistan bus blast

A blast on a bus in northwest Pakistan killed 13 people including nine Chinese citizens. The bus was carrying Chinese engineers, surveyors and mechanical staff to the Dasu dam site in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which is under construction. "The blast sparked a fire in the engine plunging the vehicle into a ravine, a local government official told AFP, requesting not be named. He said a further 28 Chinese nationals were injured. A senior local police official, who also asked not to be named, confirmed the incident and said "it was a heavy blast but its nature is not known yet".

The Chinese embassy in Pakistan posted a statement on Wednesday, saying that "a certain project of a Chinese firm in Pakistan suffered an attack, which caused the deaths of Chinese nationals." A senior administrative officer of the Hazara region told Reuters the bus was carrying more than 30 Chinese engineers to the site of the Dasu dam in Upper Kohistan. The Dasu hydroelectric project is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $65 billion investment plan under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative that is aimed at connecting western China to the Gwadar sea port in southern Pakistan.