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Gunmen kill nine tourists in Kashmir | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Gunmen have killed at least nine foreign tourists after storming a hotel in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, police say. | |
Initial reports say five are from Ukraine, one from Russia and three from China. A Pakistani woman is also said to have been killed. | |
The attack happened near the base camp of the Nanga Parbat Mountain, in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan. | |
No group has so far said it carried out the attack. | |
Police had at first said 10 foreign tourists were killed. The motive for the attack is not yet clear. | |
Part of the Himalayan Range, Nanga Parbat is one of the highest mountains in the world and a popular tourist destination. | |
"Unknown people entered a hotel where foreign tourists were staying last night and opened fire," Ali Sher, a senior police officer, told Reuters. | "Unknown people entered a hotel where foreign tourists were staying last night and opened fire," Ali Sher, a senior police officer, told Reuters. |
A senior official said the area had been sealed off and police were hunting for the killers. | A senior official said the area had been sealed off and police were hunting for the killers. |
"Since the area is very remote with no roads or transport, their bodies will have to be retrieved by helicopter," he said. | "Since the area is very remote with no roads or transport, their bodies will have to be retrieved by helicopter," he said. |
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have condemned the attack. | |
Mr Sharif, who was re-elected earlier this month, said such acts of cruelty and inhumanity would not be tolerated. | |
Meanwhile Gilgit governor Syed Mehdi Shah is set to hold a meeting with regional law enforcement agencies on Sunday to discuss the security situation in the area, Radio Pakistan reports. | |
Correspondents say Gilgit-Baltistan, which borders China, had been considered one of the more secure areas under Pakistani control. | Correspondents say Gilgit-Baltistan, which borders China, had been considered one of the more secure areas under Pakistani control. |
However, in recent years it has suffered a spate of attacks by militants targeting Pakistan's Shia Muslim minority. | However, in recent years it has suffered a spate of attacks by militants targeting Pakistan's Shia Muslim minority. |
The area is famous for its natural beauty and the main city of Gilgit is seen as a gateway to the Karakoram and Himalayan mountain ranges. | The area is famous for its natural beauty and the main city of Gilgit is seen as a gateway to the Karakoram and Himalayan mountain ranges. |