A bus carrying Chinese engineers was targeted during a bomb blast in Upper Kohistan, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 39, according to local sources.
It was not immediately clear if the blast was caused by a roadside vehicle or what was planted inside the bus at the time.
According to sources, seven Chinese nationals, two soldiers, and four locals were killed.
Soldiers leave a military helicopter injured by a Chinese man after a bus plunged into a gorge following an explosion that killed 13 people at Gilgit Military Hospital, July 14, 2021 / AFP(ads2)
"The bus plunged into a deep ravine after the explosion and caused extensive damage. One Chinese engineer and one soldier were killed. Rescue work was under way and all government equipment was set up to rescue the injured by air ambulance," said a senior government official on condition of anonymity.
The bus was transporting more than 30 Chinese engineers to the Dasu dam site in Upper Kohistan.
China has called on Pakistan to investigate the bomb blast.
China's Foreign Ministry condemned the blast, offered condolences, and called on Pakistan to protect the safety of Chinese workers, facilities and projects.
The dead and injured, including Chinese engineers, were taken to the Regional Health Center in Dasu, 10 km from the blast site.
The Dasu power project is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $ 65 billion investment plan aimed at linking western China and the port of Gwadar in southern Pakistan as part of the Beijing and Belt Initiative Initiative.
For many years Chinese engineers and construction workers in Pakistan have been working in the area where the explosion occurred at the Dasu power project.
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