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Pakistan not give exact information on death of Russian tourists

Gilgit police used helicopters to search for the attackers

MOSCOW, June 23 (Itar-Tass) - The Pakistani authorities cannot give clear information on the death of Russian tourists, spokesperson to the Federal Agency for Tourism (Rostourism) Irina Shchegolkova told Itar-Tass.

“Neither the Russian consulate nor Rostourism can understand reasons for why the Pakistani authorities confirm or deny information on if any Russian tourist was killed. It won’t take much time to determine citizenship of the rest of tourists, including Ukrainians,” Shchegolkova said.

Earlier, she said Pakistan’s police does not confirm information Russian citizens were killed in the terrorist attack.

“According to reports that Pakistan gave the Russian consulate, local police does not confirm or deny Russian citizens were killed in the mountains. At the moment a person, who has been killed, is being identified. The consulate waits for information from the authorities,” Shchegolkova said.

Ten tourists had to climb the Nanga Parbat Mountain, one of the most difficult mountains for climbing. On Saturday evening upon the return from Diamer Bhasha climbers decided to pass the night in one of the private hotels. At night a group of armed militants broke into the hotel where climbers rested and inflicted fire damage. Tourists’ things have been stolen.

Gilgit police used helicopters to search for the attackers.

Meanwhile, the Tehrit-i-Taliban Pakistan movement took responsibility for the murder of foreign tourists in the area of Gilgit-Baltistan in the north of Pakistan.

“Our groups made the attack in response to American unmanned aircraft’s raids on the north-west of Pakistan,” a representative of the Tehrit-i-Taliban told local mass media.

“The murder of foreigners in Gilgit will prove our hatred to Americans for their raid on our militants,” he added.

In the middle of June several groups of alpinists, including from Russia, arrived to climb the Nanga Parbat Mountain, the Russian Embassy in Islamabad said.

Contrary to the existing rules Russian climbers have not been registered in the consulate that is why the embassy has no information on membership of the group, the embassy said.

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