Karachi : Four people have died in a blast in Pakistan. At least four people, including three Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver, were killed and several others were injured when a car exploded on the campus of Karachi University on Tuesday, Pakistan media reported. Initial reports suggest that the explosion occurred in a van near the Confucius Institute at the university.
The AP news agency quoted university spokesman Mohammad Farooq as saying that the cause of the blast was not immediately known.
Karachi Police Chief Ghulam Nabi Memon said preliminary investigations suggest it could be a suicide bomber. He said closed-circuit television footage of the site showed a man wearing a female burqa from head to toe walking up to the van, which was immediately followed by an explosion.
The three dead Chinese included the director of the Chinese-built Confucius Institute, which provided Chinese language graduate classes, as well as two teachers. Officials said the fourth death was that of the Pakistani driver of the van.
Police officer Abdul Khaliq said that the matter is being investigated. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast yet. The Balochistan Liberation Army, a terrorist group in nearby Balochistan province, has targeted Chinese civilians in attacks in the past.
A video of the van in which the blast took place was also posted on social media, in which the vehicle was completely destroyed by the flames. On the other hand, police and paramilitary rangers immediately reached the spot and cordoned off the areas.
Police sources said that seven to eight people were in the van. However, the exact number of casualties has not yet been given.
The explosion took place at 1.52 pm (local time) in a van near the Confucius Institute, a Chinese language learning center at the University of Karachi. After the blast, rescue and security agencies reached the spot and started a rescue operation by cordoning off the area, Geo News reported.
