13:35 25.06.2013

Foreign Ministry confirms three Ukrainian climbers among victims of militants attack in Pakistan

2 min read

The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine has confirmed that three Ukrainian mountaineers were killed in an attack by militants on a group of tourists in Pakistan on June 23.

"There has been an identification. According to its results, we can confirm that there were three Ukrainian citizens among the victims," Acting Director of the Ministry's Information Policy Department Yevhen Perebyinis told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

He also said that the matter of brining their bodies home is being currently settled.

The Foreign Ministry's spokesman added that Ukraine would seek compensation from Pakistan.

"We insist that the Pakistani side should provide compensation to relatives of the victims," Perebyinis said.

Earlier reports said that three Ukrainians, two Chinese nationals, one Lithuanian, two Slovak citizens and one Nepali national died in an extremist attack on a hotel in the north of Pakistan's Kashmir on the night between June 22 and 23.

The incident occurred in Gilgit-Baltistan, an area that had been considered one of the safest parts of Pakistan, although in recent years it had seen several attacks by radicals on members of the Muslim Shia minority.

According to President of the Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing in Kharkiv region Hennadiy Kopiyka, the three killed climbers were from Kharkiv. The international expedition, which included climbers from Ukraine, Georgia and Slovakia, lead by Ukrainian climber Ihor Sverhun, was to conquer Nanga Parbat (8,125 meters high).

An extremist militant group known as Jundallah claimed that they were behind the attack. Pakistani militant group Jundallah Responsibility for the murder of tourists took the Later, another militant group, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, also claimed responsibility for the attack.

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