Two Chinese nationals were killed when a bomb exploded near Karachi airport in Pakistan

Two Chinese nationals were killed after a gunshot near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan.

China’s embassy in Pakistan said “several Pakistani personnel were killed and injured” in the blast, which occurred around 23:00 local time (17:00 GMT). The death toll is not yet clear.

The embassy added that the explosion targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers working on the power system in Sindh province.

The independent Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) – which in recent years has attacked Chinese people involved in the program – claims responsibility for the attack.

In a statement issued on Monday, the military said it had “targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers and investors” arriving from Karachi airport.

The Chinese embassy said the engineers are part of the Chinese-backed Port Qasim Power Generation Co Ltd, which aims to build two coal-fired power plants in Port Qasim, near Karachi.

The facility is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is also financing a number of infrastructure and energy projects in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which is rich in natural resources, including gas and minerals.

The BLA and other Baloch groups have fought a protracted insurgency for a separate state.

It has always targeted the Chinese people in the region, saying that the Baloch citizens were not getting a share of the wealth taken from foreign investors.

The Chinese embassy on Monday reminded its citizens and Chinese businesses in Pakistan to be vigilant and “do their best to take precautionary measures”. The embassy added that it would thoroughly investigate the attack and “severely punish the killer”.

Security has also been strengthened in Pakistan as preparing to host a leaders’ conference of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The explosion was reported to have been heard in different parts of the city, and pictures from the local media showed heavy smoke and burned cars.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar said the explosion may have been caused by a suspected improvised explosive device (IED).

Images online show security officials and firefighters investigating the blast site, where several vehicles were set on fire by the blast.

Police surgeon Dr Summaiya told Dawn news: “Ten injured people, including one in a critical condition, have been brought to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical College (JPMC).”

He added that the injured included a policeman and a woman.

A statement posted on X from the Sindh Home Minister’s office said that a “tanker truck” exploded on Airport Road and said the minister was in contact with the Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) regarding the incident.

“We must find the facts,” the statement said.

The BLA claims responsibility for a previous attack on a Pakistani airport near the port of Gwadar, another key feature of the China-Pakistan economic corridor.

In April 2022, it killed three Chinese teachers and a Pakistani driver in the area suicide bombing near Karachi University’s Confucius Institute.