Huge explosion hits Karachi airport in Pakistan

A massive blast outside Karachi Airport in Pakistan on Sunday killed two people and injured at least 8 more, according to local media.

Police and the provincial government said a tanker exploded outside the airport, which is Pakistan's biggest but the provincial home minister, Zia Ul Hassan, told local TV station Geo it was an attack targeting foreigners.

A militant seperatist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), has claimed responsibility for the attack.

It 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 killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing's consulate in Karachi.

A Home Ministry official, speaking anonymously, said the explosion was an attack on Chinese nationals.

Thousands of Chinese workers are in Pakistan, most of them involved in Beijing's multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative that connects south and central Asia with the Chinese capital.

Videos showed flames engulfing cars and a thick column of smoke rising from the scene.

Police surgeon Dr. Sumayya Tariq said one of the casualties was in critical condition and four of them were security guards.

Rahat Hussain, who works in the civil aviation department, said the blast was so big it shook the airport's buildings.

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