Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan hit with suicide bomb
A suicide bomber has attacked the Chinese embassy in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, killing himself and injuring at least three others.
The attacker drove a car into the compound in Bishkek where it exploded, according to reports from AFP.
The incident was an "extreme and violent attack" according to China's foreign ministry. No Chinese nationals were injured, with three Kyrgyz security guards the only people confirmed as having been hurt.
"China is deeply shocked by this and strongly condemns this violent and extreme act," spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news conference in Beijing.
“We are demanding that Kyrgyzstan find out the truth rapidly and punish [those responsible],” she added.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks as of yet.
Footage circulating on social media shows smoke rising from the building in Bishkek.
Video of aftermath of #China embassy car bombing in Bishkek, #Kyrgyzstan: https://t.co/U50TvJqiet
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) August 30, 2016
China has been involved in a complex conflict with the ethnic Uighur community around the border with Kyrgyzstan in the Xinjiang province, in which several people have been killed, and thousands held on terrorism offences.