Authorities in Pakistan said on Tuesday that five Chinese nationals were among six people killed in a suicide attack in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Regional police chief Mohammad Ali Gandapur said a convoy carrying Chinese engineers was targeted by a suicide bomber who rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into them.

"Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack," Gandapur told news agencies.

What we know about the attack

The senior police official said the victims had been traveling from Islamabad to their camp in Dasu in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province — which is the site of the Dasu hydroelectric dam, currently being constructed by the China Gezhouba Group Company.

The attack took place along a winding, mountainous road that runs alongside a deep ravine.

In 2021, a bus transporting engineers to the same site was targeted in an attack that killed 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals.

China calls for 'thorough investigation'

China said it "strongly condemned this terrorist act" while offering its condolences to the families of the deceased.

"The Chinese embassy and consulates in Pakistan have immediately launched emergency work, demanding that the
Pakistani side conduct a thorough investigation into the attack," China's diplomatic mission in Pakistan said in a statement.

It also called for the perpetrators of the attack to be severely punished and for steps to be taken to protect Chinese citizens.

China has invested heavily in Pakistan's infrastructure over the past few years as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The Chinese projects have led to a level of resentment in some local quarters, with separatist groups claiming those from the region benefit little, with most jobs going to outsiders.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Islamist militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have previously targeted Chinese interests in Pakistan. 

kb/wmr (Reuters, AFP)