QUETTA, Pakistan: At least four people were killed and a dozen others wounded when a bomb exploded at a top hotel hosting the Chinese ambassador in southwestern Pakistan,
The blast took place in the car park of the Serena – a luxury hotel chain throughout Pakistan – in the city of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province where the military has been fighting a decade-long low level insurgency.
China’s ambassador to Pakistan was staying at the hotel, but was not there when the bomb exploded, said Pakistan’s interior Minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad
“A Chinese delegation of around four people led by the ambassador was lodging in the hotel.
“The ambassador was out for a meeting when the explosion took place,” he added.
Provincial Home Minister Ziaullah Lango said the envoy was fine.
“An explosion has rocked the parking area of the Serena Hotel,” police official Nasir Malik saying 11 people had been wounded. An official at a local civil hospital, Waseem Baig, said four people had died, and “several others are in critical condition”.
Senior police official Azhar Akram said officers were trying to determine whether the bomb was planted in a vehicle that was parked in the hotel’s parking lot. He provided no further details, saying police were still investigating.
Other security officials said the bomb exploded minutes after a car entered the parking lot, and authorities were investigating to determine whether it was a suicide attack.
Hours after the attack, the Pakistani Taliban in a statement claimed responsibility, saying it was a suicide attack. The Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, is a separate insurgent group from the Afghan Taliban.
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