One security officer was killed on Saturday when three unidentified armed individuals stormed the five-star Pearl Continental (PC) hotel in the southern Pakistani city of Gwadar, located in the province of Balochistan, the media wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces said
NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th May, 2019) One security officer was killed on Saturday when three unidentified armed individuals stormed the five-star Pearl Continental (PC) hotel in the southern Pakistani city of Gwadar, located in the province of Balochistan, the media wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces said."Three terrorists attempted forced entry in PC Gwadar. Guard at entry challenged them. Terrorists opened fire on PC security guard who embraced Shahadat [martyrdom]," the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, as quoted by the Geo tv broadcaster.
No other fatalities and casualties have been reported so far.
ISPR confirmed that all the guests had been evacuated from the hotel.
"Terrorists [are] encircled by security forces in [a] staircase leading to [the] top floor. Clearance Operation [is] in progress," ISPR said.
While the Pakistan Today newspaper reported that at least 70 people, including 40 Chinese citizens, were in the hotel at the moment of the attack, officials refuted this information, without citing any other figures.
The Balochistan Liberation Army separatist organization, qualified as a terrorist group by Pakistan, has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.
Police troops and special forces have arrived at the site of the incident.
Baloch separatists have been struggling to create an independent state since 1947.
