Death toll rises to 9 in clash outside US Consulate in Pakistan's Karachi

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Death toll rises to 9 in clash outside US Consulate in Pakistan's Karachi

2026-03-01 19:20 Last Updated At：03-02 11:02

At least nine people were killed and more than 12 others injured on Sunday as angry protesters clashed with law enforcement personnel outside the U.S. Consulate in Karachi in the southern Sindh province, rescue officials said.

The clashes erupted on Mai Kolachi Road when demonstrators tried to enter the premises, prompting security forces to respond, according to Rescue 1122 Sindh.

The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals, many of whom are in critical condition, according to Hassan Ul Haseeb, spokesperson for Rescue 1122 Sindh.

Who opened fire was uncertain at the moment, the spokesperson said, adding that most of the injured sustained bullet wounds while others suffered baton injuries.

According to a statement by the Edhi Foundation rescue service, law enforcement personnel resorted to teargas shelling and baton charge to control the situation.

Sindh Home Minister Zia Ul Hassan Lanjar sought a report from the police and ordered tighter security at sensitive installations.

China launches Shenzhou-23 manned spaceship

China's Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwest on Sunday, sending three astronauts to its orbiting space station.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, lifted off from the launch site at 23:08 Beijing Time (15:08 GMT).

The crew members consist of mission commander Zhu Yangzhu, and fellow astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, who is also the first astronaut from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

In another notable first, one of the crew members is set to undertake a year-long stay aboard the space station, double the usual duration of previous Shenzhou missions.

After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-23 spaceship will perform a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.

Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's manned spaceflight program and the seventh manned flight mission since the Tiangong space station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.