'Terrorist attack' near Karachi airport kills two Chinese nationals, embassy says

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Two Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion near the international airport of the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Sunday night, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said, in what it described as a "terrorist attack".

In a statement emailed to journalists, separatist militant group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed the explosion was an attack carried out by them using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device targeting Chinese nationals, including engineers.

The Chinese embassy said a convoy from the Port Qasim Electric Power Company was attacked near the airport.

"The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan strongly condemn this terrorist attack, express deep condolences to the innocent victims of both countries and sincere sympathies to the injured and (their) families," the statement said, adding the Chinese side has been working with Pakistani authorities in the aftermath.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a Chinese national was also injured and that an investigation was underway.

"Pakistan stands committed to safeguarding our Chinese friends," he said in a statement on social media platform X. "We will leave no stone unturned to ensure their security and well-being."

Pakistan is preparing to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in the capital Islamabad, which was roiled by protests and clashes this weekend between police and supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

High-level Chinese representation and the first visit by an Indian foreign minister in a decade are expected at the summit next week, which authorities have vowed to secure.

Pakistan broadcaster Geo News reported at least 10 people were injured in Sunday's blast in addition to the fatalities. Karachi police did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The BLA seeks independence for the province of Balochistan, located in Pakistan's southwest and bordering on Afghanistan and Iran. In August, it launched coordinated attacks in the province, in which more than 70 people were killed.

BLA specifically targets Chinese interests - in particular the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, accusing Beijing of helping Islamabad exploit the province. It has previously killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing's consulate in Karachi.

Security issues have affected China's billions of planned investments, including under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which is part of President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road.

In March, a suicide bomber killed five Chinese engineers working on a hydropower project in northern Pakistan. Authorities arrested militants they said were associated with the Pakistani Taliban, though that group denied being behind the attack.

(Reporting by Gibran Peshimam and Charlotte Greenfield in Islamabad and Casey Hall in Shanghai;Editing by Christina Fincher, Diane Craft and Lincoln Feast.)