Pakistani police say 5 Chinese nationals and their local driver were killed in a suicide attack

A suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan rammed his explosive-laden car into a vehicle on Tuesday, killing five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver, police and government officials said.

The attack happened in Shangla, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local police chief Bakhat Zahir said. He added that the five killed were construction workers and engineers.

Thousands of Chinese nationals are in Shangla, working on projects relating to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which includes a multitude of mega projects such as road construction, power plants and agriculture.

The CPEC, also known as the One Road Project, is a lifeline for Pakistan’s cash-strapped government, currently facing one of the worst economic crises. It is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a global endeavor aimed at reconstituting the Silk Road and linking China to all corners of Asia.

Chinese laborers working on CPEC-related projects have come under attack in various parts of Pakistan in recent years.