Bomb blast in Karachi University claims four lives including three Chinese nationals.

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD -- Four people, including three Chinese nationals, were killed while four others sustained injuries in a high roof van explosion on the premises of the University of Karachi. So far the nature of the bomb blast has not been ascertained. The injured have been shifted in different hospitals of Karachi for treatment and dead bodies have been shifted to Chipa mortuary. The injured persons include one ranger's personnel, one private security guard and one Chinese national.

The explosion occurred at 1:52 PM in a van near the Confucius Institute - a Chinese language teaching centre at Karachi University. Following the blast, rescue and security agencies rushed to the location and cordoned off the areas, initiating rescue operations.

The deceased Chinese nationals have been identified as the director of the Confucius Institute Huang Guiping, Ding Mupeng, Chen Sai, and their Pakistani driver, Khalid.

Police sources said that there were seven to eight people in the van; however, an exact number of casualties is yet to be determined. The van entered the premises through the Maskan gate, they said.

Two of the injured have been identified as Chinese national Wang Yuqing and a guard named Hamid. Meanwhile, three people are said to be in critical condition, per sources.

The explosion was initially reported to have been caused by a gas cylinder. However, the police later said that the blast could have been a suicide attack. Sources further added that the victims were returning to the Confucius Institute from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA).

The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) East Muqaddas Haider, while speaking to a private TV channel, said that it is the bomb disposal squad's responsibility to determine the nature of the blast, adding that the process of identification is underway.

He, however, expressed concerns that the blast could have been a terrorist attack targeting Chinese nationals.

Meanwhile, Karachi Police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon said that according to the initial investigation, a burqa-clad woman may be involved in the suicide blast.

"The police have obtained the CCTV footage of the blast and it is currently being analysed," Haider said, adding that it is being ascertained whether the burqa-clad woman seen in the footage was the suicide bomber or not," said the DIG.

Taking notice of the incident, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah directed the deputy commissioner (DC) East and Superintendent of...