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| One dead after explosion near Karachi airport in Pakistan | One dead after explosion near Karachi airport in Pakistan |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| One person has died and at least 10 others, including a foreign national, have been injured after an explosion near a major airport in Pakistan, officials said. | |
| The blast which happened around 23:00 local time (18:00BST) happened close to Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on Sunday night. A convoy of foreigners had reportedly been close to the site. | |
| The cause is not yet known, however the Interior Minister for Sindh province Zia-ul-Hasan Linjar has been reported by GEO News to have said it was suspected to be an improvised explosive device (IED) strike. | |
| The separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack. | |
| In a statement released on Monday, the militant group said it had "targeted a high-level convoy of Chinese engineers and investors" arriving from Karachi airport. | |
| Pakistan's Balochistan province has a rich supply of natural resources, including gas and minerals and is a crucial part of a multi-billion dollar project funded by China. | |
| The BLA along with other ethnic Baloch groups has fought a long-running insurgency for a separate homeland. | |
| It has regularly targeted Chinese nationals in the region, claiming ethnic Baloch residents were not receiving their share of wealth extracted from foreign investors. | |
| There has also been heightened security in Pakistan as it prepares to host the leaders' summit of the Shangai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). | |
| The blast was reportedly heard in various areas around the city, with footage from local media showing thick smoke and cars set alight. | |
| A police surgeon, Dr Summaiya told Dawn News: "Ten injured persons, including one in critical condition, have been brought the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical College (JPMC)." | |
| She added the injured included a police constable and a woman. | |
| A statement posted on X from Sindh's Interior Minister's office said that a "tanker truck" had exploded on Airport Road and said the minister was in contact with the Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) regarding the incident. | |
| "We need to ascertain the facts," the statement said. |