Agence france-presse
Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), August 30: A van driven by a suicide bomber exploded after ramming through a gate at the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan Tuesday, wounding 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 at the scene. Razakov said the three wounded were all Kyrgyz employees of the Chinese embassy and that they had been taken to hospital. Local medics said the injuries were not serious.
Police sources said that a Mitsubishi Delica van smashed through a gate at the embassy Tuesday morning before blowing up in the centre of the compound close to the ambassador’s residence. A police source confirmed that the vehicle was driven by a suicide bomber and described the incident as a “terrorist attack”. Body parts thought to be from the attacker were found several hundred metres from the blast site, a source said.
The security service of the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation — which borders China — said an “explosive device” had been placed inside the vehicle, an official said. Local residents said that the blast had blown in their windows and caused their houses to shake.