Suicide bombing at Chinese embassy in Bishkek

World Today

Kyrgyzstan Embassy BlastA Chinese Embassy employee, examines broken window at the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. A suspected suicide bomber on Tuesday crashed a car through the entrance of the Chinese Embassy in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek, detonating a bomb that killed the attacker and wounded three embassy employees. (AP Photo)

A suspected suicide bomber on Tuesday crashed a car through the entrance of the Chinese Embassy in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek, detonating a bomb that killed the attacker and wounded three embassy employees.

A witness told the Associated Press that the blast was “strong”, shattering windows and damaging doors nearby.

A Kyrgyz news website, Kloop.kg, showed images of police blocking the road towards the embassy and emergency vehicles parked nearby.

The Central Asian nation’s interior ministry says the person who drove the vehicle through the gate died when the bomb detonated.

The three people injured are Kyrgyz nationals: two 17-year-old embassy gardeners and an unidentified woman.

Almaz Kubatbekov, chief physician at the Bishkek National Trauma and Orthopaedics Institute, said the three victims suffered concussions and multiple bruises.

China denounced the attack and appealed to Kyrgyz authorities to identify and harshly punish anyone involved.

No group claimed responsibility.

The Foreign Ministry has launched emergency procedures, and China requires Kyrgyzstan to take immediate and necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese people and institutions, spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

She also urged the Kyrgyz side to investigate the bombing and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Story by The Associated Press and Xinhua.


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