Suicide blast at Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan injures three

Car driven by a suicide bomber smashed one of the embassy gates before blowing up in the centre of the compound close to the ambassador's residence, injuring two Kyrgyz embassy staff and a woman.

A police car seen near the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan where a car bomb blast injured three and killed the suicide bomber on August 30, 2016.
TRT World and Agencies

A police car seen near the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan where a car bomb blast injured three and killed the suicide bomber on August 30, 2016.

A car driven by a suicide bomber Tuesday exploded after it rammed through a gate at the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, the capital of former Soviet republic Kyrgyzstan. The blast wounded three people, authorities said.

"As a result of the explosion, only the suicide bomber terrorist died. Security guards were injured," Kyrgyzstan's Deputy Prime Minister Jenish Razakov told journalists. Local medics said the driver of the car was killed while two Kyrgyz embassy staff members and a woman sustained mild injuries in the blast.

A source at the Bishkek police told AFP the Mitsubishi Delica car smashed a gate on the embassy before blowing up in the centre of the compound, close to the ambassador's residence.

Another source with the Central Asian nation's security service said an "explosive device" had been placed inside the vehicle.

TRT World and Agencies

People gather near the site of the explosion at the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyztan on August 30, 2016.

Employees from the Chinese and nearby American embassy were evacuated, the Kyrgyz emergency service said.

Locals told AFP their houses shook with the impact of the blast which shattered their windows.

Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked former Soviet republic that borders China and has a predominantly Muslim population. China also maintains influence in several Kyrgyz industries, including energy and mining.

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