Sunday 23 June 2013

Nine Tourists Die In Pakistan Attack

 Nine Tourists Die In Pakistan Attack

Gunmen have killed 10 people, including nine foreign tourists after storming a hotel in far northern Pakistan, BBC reports.
Officials say five are from Ukraine, one from Russia and three from China. A Pakistani guide also died in the attack. It happened at the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth highest mountain, in Gilgit-Baltistan.
It is the first such attack on tourists in the region. A Sunni militant group, Jundullah, said it was responsible. Police had at first said 10 foreign tourists had died.
The motive for the killings is not yet clear. One person, said to be Chinese, has survived the attack. Part of the Himalayan Range, Nanga Parbat, standing at 8,126m (26,660ft), is popular with trekkers and mountaineers, especially during June and July.
The assault is seen as a significant blow for Pakistan’s already struggling tourist industry, the BBC says. Gilgit-Baltistan, which borders China, had so far been considered one of the more secure areas under Pakistani control.
The attackers, reportedly dressed in police uniforms, stormed the hotel at the base camp in the foothills of Nanga Parbat shortly after midnight.

No comments: