Pakistani secessionist group Balochistan Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the blast.
At least one person has been killed and 10 others injured in an explosion near the international airport in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, local broadcaster Geo News reported, less than two weeks before a regional summit slated to be held in the capital Islamabad.
Citing a provincial official, Geo News added that at least one foreigner was among the injured. The nature of the blast, which took place on Sunday night, was not immediately clear.
Television footage and videos on social media showed large plumes of smoke at the site on Model Colony Road, though airport buildings and installations were safe.
According to the Pakistan daily Dawn News, airlines’ schedules at the Jinnah International Airport have not been affected by the incident.
The Sindh province’s home minister, Ziaul Hasan Lanjar, told Geo News that the explosion was caused by a suspected improvised explosive device (IED).
Earlier, a statement from his office had said that the blast was due to an oil tanker explosion.
A massive explosion struck a high-security convoy near Karachi airport, engulfing multiple vehicles, including those of security forces, in flames. pic.twitter.com/dymz0D8kXd
— Mamoon Durrani 🇦🇫 مامون دُرانی (@MamoonDurrani) October 6, 2024
In a statement emailed to journalists, the armed group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the explosion, saying the attack was carried out using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device targeting Chinese nationals, including engineers.
BLA is a banned secessionist armed group that is part of a broader rebellion in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and least populated province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan.
In August, it launched coordinated attacks in the province, in which more than 70 people were killed. Similar past attacks in Balochistan have been claimed by the BLA, such as the killing of seven barbers in Gwadar in May, or the April killings of several people abducted from a highway.
The BLA specifically targets Chinese interests – in particular the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea – accusing Beijing of helping Islamabad exploit the province. The group has also killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi.