Six Chinese injured in shooting attack on bus in Laos, in second assault on Chinese nationals this month
One victim’s wounds more severe than others
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 24 March, 2016, 10:57am
UPDATED : Thursday, 24 March, 2016, 11:31am
Ben Westcott Celine Ge
Six people from China were injured in an attack on a cross-border passenger bus in northern Laos on Wednesday night, according to an official at the Chinese embassy in Laos.
The bus, carrying 25 passengers and three drivers, was travelling from Kunming in southwest China to Vientiane, the capital of Laos.
The attack was the second of its kind targeting Chinese nationals in Laos this month.
The shooting happened at about 9pm on a road in Kasi, Vientiane province.
The driver, who was injured in the attack, managed to drive the vehicle to the safety.
An official from the Chinese embassy in Laos told the South China Morning Post he could not confirm whether the six injured citizens were tourists.
“So far they’re all still in hospital, we have transferred all of the injured to a nearby hospital and some of them have been taken to other, better hospitals according to their wounds,” he said.
One of the victims’ wounds were more severe than the others, he said.
The official said they had no idea who was behind the shooting, the second this month.
“We are still pushing the Laos police to investigate and so far there is nothing solid to tell,” he said.
A Chinese citizen died and three were injured on March 1 in a shooting by an unidentified gunmen in Luang Prabang province in northern Laos.
Laos, bordering China’s southwestern Yunnan province, has been a popular destination for Chinese tourists and investors.