Swedish church volunteer dies after Pakistan shooting

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Photo shows church volunteer Birgitta Almeby in intensive care at the hospital prior to her death.—AFP Photo

STOCKHOLM: Sweden’s government says an elderly Swedish woman who was shot by a gunman while working as a volunteer in Pakistan has died from her wounds.

Birgitta Almeby, who was in her 70s, died in a Stockholm hospital overnight on Thursday after having been airlifted to her homeland for medical treatment earlier this week.

In a brief statement, Swedish Aid Minister Gunilla Carlsson confirmed the death by passing on her condolences, saying the incident had touched her deeply.

Almeby had worked as a church volunteer in Pakistan’s second largest city, Lahore, for almost 40 years when she was attacked by an unknown assailant on Dec 3.

The motive for the shooting remains unclear, but local media reported that Almeby had frequently received threats from a group of unknown men.

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