Pakistan bus blast: China expedites special team to probe, shocked by Chinese casualties

China on Thursday said that it is rushing a special team to Pakistan to probe the bus blast which killed 13 people including nine Chinese engineers. The neighbouring nation has now announced the probe amid differing perceptions between the two close allies whether it was an ‘attack’ or another mechanical failure that caused the accident. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, while announcing the probe, said that the country is shocked by Chinese casualties.

China rushes special team to probe Pakistan bus blast

Amidst the differing opinions between the allies, China has now announced a probe into the bus blast. The incident took place in the Dasu area of Upper Kohistan district of the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where China is helping Pakistan build a dam. The construction site has many Chinese construction workers and engineers working there. The construction agreement between the allies is part of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“China will send a joint working group today to Pakistan to coordinate the relevant work,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing. “China is shocked by severe casualties of Chinese nationals in the incident,” he said. The spokesperson went on to say that the Chinese government and leaders are paying great attention to the incident that happened in Pakistan.

“The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government paid high attention to this incident and the leaders immediately made important instructions to save the injured and solve the following problems,” Zhao said. Responding to the query regarding the differing views of the two countries on the incident, China terming the mishap as a bomb attack while Pakistan stating that the blast was caused by a gas leak, Zhao said, “We noted the remarks by the spokesperson of the foreign ministry in Pakistan.”

Chinese engineers killed in Pakistan bus blast

The incident happened as the packed shuttle bus carrying Chinese engineers and workers to the site of the under-construction Dassu Dam exploded. At least 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals and two Frontier Corps soldiers, were reported dead while 39 others got injured. The bus was reported to have fallen into a deep ravine following the explosion.

IMAGE: ANI/ AP