Six Chinese killed in a blast in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province; Beijing demands probe

A bus transporting construction workers in Pakistan's far north plummeted into a ravine after an explosion, killing at least 12 people, including nine Chinese citizens, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry.

On Wednesday morning, a bus carrying workers to the Dasu hydropower plant in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, roughly 190 kilometers (118 miles) north of Islamabad, was involved in an accident.

The explosion's cause could not be ascertained immediately. The Pakistani foreign ministry said it was caused by a "mechanical malfunction," while a Chinese foreign ministry official called it an "attack." The cause of the explosion is still being probed, according to local police and administration officials.

In a statement by Pakistan's foreign ministry, "This morning a bus carrying Chinese workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, plunged into a ravine after a mechanical failure resulting in leakage of gas that caused a blast."

China condemns the attack

Chinese authorities referred to the cause of the explosion as an "attack" and called for a full investigation by Pakistani law enforcement. The Chinese foreign ministry said, "Recently, our workers at a business on a certain project in Pakistan were attacked and have suffered deaths and injuries. We have notified Chinese citizens in Pakistan to avoid venturing outside unless required by work or business and pay special care to their safety."

China was "shocked by and condemns the bomb attack in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province" Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said. "We mourn over the Chinese and Pakistani personnel killed in the attack and express sympathies to bereaved families and the wounded," he further added.

Demanding a detailed investigation on the incident, Zhao also said, "We have demanded the Pakistani side get to the bottom of the incident, arrest and strictly punish the assailants as soon as possible, and earnestly protect the safety of Chinese personnel, institutions, and projects in Pakistan."

Dasu hydropower project

The Dasu hydropower project is part of the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), an infrastructural and economic development initiative between the two nations that has witnessed China build multiple power plants in Pakistan. Road accidents are prevalent in Pakistan's far north, where dangerous roads with few or no safety barriers snake through the Karakoram and Himalayan Mountain ranges, where the incident occurred.