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US embassy staffer killed in Pak blast

Pakistani volunteers help an injured British diplomat after a bomb blast at a restaurant in Islamabad on Saturday. — AFP photo

Islamabad, March 15
A woman working in the US embassy here was killed and 15 persons, including Chinese and Japanese, were injured when a powerful blast rocked a popular restaurant in the heart of the Pakistani capital today.

The explosion on the lawn outside the Luna Caprise restaurant occurred at about 8.40 pm local time, sending plumes of smoke in the air and creating a huge crater at the site. The dead woman has been identified as Elaine, an employee of the US embassy here, officials said.

Among those injured were three US citizens, two Japanese journalists, three Pakistanis and one Chinese, city police chief Nadeem Baloch said.

Baloch, however, ruled out a suicide attack.

The place is frequented by foreigners and diplomats, and several US embassy cars were parked outside the eatery at the time of the blast, which could be heard from several km away. — PTI