An attack on Chinese nationals near Karachi airport left two people dead and 10 injured

At least two people were killed and ten injured in an explosion near the international airport in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Sunday evening, local broadcaster Geo News reported. An Interior Ministry official said it was an attack on Chinese citizens.

The separatist militant group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said in a statement it had “targeted a high-level convoy of Chinese engineers and investors” arriving from Karachi airport.

The regional government of southern Sindh province said on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, that a “tanker” had exploded on the airport highway.

In an emailed statement to reporters, the BLA claimed that the explosion was an attack it carried out using an improvised explosive device in vehicles against Chinese nationals, including engineers.

Karachi Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Videos showed flames engulfing cars and a thick column of smoke rising from the scene. There was a heavy military operation on the site, which was cordoned off.

The police surgeon Dr. Sumayya Tariq said one of the injured was in critical condition and four of them were security forces.