’Bomb’ Blast Kills Two Chinese in Laos

Local Editor

Chinese state media reported on Monday that two Chinese nationals were killed and another wounded in a suspected bomb blast in Laos, the latest incident in which Chinese citizens have been killed abroad as the country's economic footprint grows.

As the Chinese embassy in the country confirmed the blast, the official Xinhua news agency said the victims were travelling in a vehicle on the mountain roads of Xaysomboun province.

"Laos' military personnel rushed to the scene, and the injured was shifted to a hospital in the capital, Vientiane, for treatment," Xinhua added.

Relatively, officials from the Chinese embassy visited the injured person and demanded a prompt investigation into the "suspected bomb attack."

At least one of the Chinese victims was an employee of a mining company from southern China's Yunnan province.

Meanwhile, the remote Xaysomboun region has been plagued by sporadic conflict between the government and ethnic Hmong militants for years.

Chinese workers have increasingly come under attack as the country's firms expand operations abroad, often in politically unstable places.

In November, three executives from a Chinese state-run railway firm were killed when militants attacked a hotel in Mali, which highlighted China's limited means to respond to threats abroad.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team