ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary said that initial investigations into Dasu incident have now confirmed traces of explosive materials. He said the terrorism could not be ruled out in this tragic mishap in which 13 people, including nine Chinese engineers were killed.
Information Minister said that Prime Minister was personally supervising all developments relating to this incident and the government was in close coordination with Chinese embassy.
On July 14, 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, had died when a coach carrying them to an under-construction tunnel site of the 4,300-megawatt Dasu hydropower project fell into a ravine in the Upper Kohistan area after an explosion.
Information Minister shared this information a day after Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told his Chinese counterpart that preliminary investigation into the incident revealed it was not a consequence of a terrorist attack.
Qureshi had met Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation-Council of Foreign Ministers in Dushanbe on Wednesday.
According to the statement, Yi urged for a probe into the incident and told Qureshi that “the Chinese side is shocked by the serious Chinese casualties in Pakistan today (Wednesday), hoping that the Pakistani side could quickly find out its cause, conduct rescue and treatment work at all costs, deal with the aftermath in time, and prevent similar incidents from happening again”.
The statement further quoted the Chinese foreign minister as saying that if the incident was a terrorist attack, the criminals must be immediately arrested and severely punished.
“Lessons should be learned from the incident, and the security measures for China-Pakistan cooperation projects should be further strengthened to ensure the safe and smooth operation of all projects,” he stressed.
Qureshi said China was Pakistan’s “most important friend and most reliable partner, and China’s loss is Pakistan’s loss,” according to the statement.
Thirteen people, including nine Chinese nationals, two personnel of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) and two locals, were killed and 28 others sustained injuries when a coach carrying them to an under-construction tunnel site of the 4,300-megawatt Dasu hydropower project fell into a ravine in the Upper Kohistan area after an explosion on Wednesday.
