Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, June 21

NEW DELHI -- At least seven people were killed and 67 others hospitalized Sunday following an ammonia gas leak at a seafood unit in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, officials said.

According to officials, the ammonia leak originated from the seafood processing unit and spread across the premises. Workers present at the facility complained of breathing difficulties, while some suffered bleeding from the mouth and nose. (India-Ammonia Leak-Death)

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ISLAMABAD -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir arrived at Switzerland's Burgenstock Resort on Sunday for high-level talks on the implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the country's state television reported.

The Pakistani delegation is expected to hold separate bilateral meetings with the U.S., Iranian and Qatari delegations on the sidelines of the diplomatic engagements, the report said. (Pakistan-U.S.-Iran talks)

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TOKYO -- A report from a Japanese military medical conference held in March 1940 suggests that the Imperial Japanese Army may have repeatedly conducted experiments in China involving the transfusion of animal blood into humans during its invasion, local media reported Saturday.

The experiments were carried out in the autumn of 1938 at an undisclosed location, and the identities of the 23 test subjects were not specified, Kyodo News said. (Japan-China-Human Experiments)

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KABUL -- Afghanistan's Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund met Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin in Kabul on Saturday, as the two nations moved to strengthen economic and political relations.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Akhund described bilateral ties as highly important and credited cooperation with friendly countries for Afghanistan's progress across multiple sectors, deputy spokesman for the Afghan government Hamdullah Fitrat posted on his X account. (Afghanistan-Kazakhstan-Relations)

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BANGKOK -- Two people were killed and at least two others seriously injured when a heavy installation component fell onto them inside a railway tunnel under construction in northern Thailand on Saturday afternoon, local media reported on Sunday. (Thailand-Accident-Death) Enditem