Eleven Chinese workers were killed in a terrorist attack in Kunduz province in north Afghanistan Thursday morning, the Chinese embassy in Kabul said.

The attack occurred at around 01:00 am local time on a construction site 36 km south of Kunduz province when some 20 gunmen opened fire at Chinese workers and security guards, leaving 11 dead, five injured.

Around 100 workers were at the site. Many of them just arrived to Afghanistan on Tuesday. Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan Sun Yuxi is on his way to the scene which is a 6-hour ride from capital city of Kabul.

This is the first major casualties China has encountered in the last two years.

(Xinhua News Agency June 10, 2004)