A Home Ministry official told the Associated Press that it was an attack on Chinese people (Image: Rajkot Airport via PTI/Screengrab)
A massive explosion outside Pakistan’s Karachi airport on Sunday killed two people and injured at least eight, officials said.
Police and the provincial government said a tank exploded outside the airport, which is Pakistan’s largest.
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But the provincial interior minister, Zia Ul Hassan, told local TV station Geo that it was an attack on foreigners.
An Interior Ministry official told the Associated Press that it was an attack on Chinese nationals, one of whom was injured. He spoke and asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
Thousands of Chinese workers are in Pakistan, most of them involved in Beijing’s multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative linking South and Central Asia with the Chinese capital.
Videos showed flames engulfing cars and thick smoke rising from the scene. There were soldiers in the area, which was fenced off.
Deputy Inspector General East Azfar Mahesar told the media that it appears to be an oil tanker explosion.
“We are determining the nature and causes of the explosion. It takes time.” Police were among the injured, he added.
The interior minister and the inspector general also visited the site of the explosion, but did not speak to the media.
Rahat Hussain, who works in the civil aviation division, said the explosion was so big that it shook the airport buildings.
(Only the headline and image for this report may have been reused by Business Standard staff; other content is automatically generated from the trade feed.)
First published: October 07 2024 | 7:07 AM IST
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