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Nine tourists killed at mountain base camp in Kashmir | Nine tourists killed at mountain base camp in Kashmir |
(35 minutes later) | |
Gunmen have killed 10 people, including nine foreign tourists after storming a hotel in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. | Gunmen have killed 10 people, including nine foreign tourists after storming a hotel in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. |
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. | 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. | Police had at first said 10 foreign tourists had died. The motive for the killings is not yet clear. |
Reports say those killed in the attack were nine trekkers and their Pakistani guide. | Reports say those killed in the attack were nine trekkers and their Pakistani guide. |
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's Shahzeb Jillani reports from Islamabad. | |
'Very remote' | 'Very remote' |
The attackers, reportedly dressed in police uniforms, stormed the hotel at the base camp in the foothills of Nanga Parbat shortly after midnight. | |
"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. |
The gunmen allegedly took the foreigners' money and passports before shooting them. | |
A senior official said the area, in Diamer district, had been sealed off and police were hunting for the killers. | A senior official said the area, in Diamer district, 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. | 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. | 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. |
"A lot of tourists come to this area in the summer, and our local people work to earn money from these people," he said. | |
"This will not only affect our area, but will adversely affect all of Pakistan." | |
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. |