Eleven miners killed and several others were injured in an attack on a coal field in Mach area of Balochistan. The victims belong to the Hazara community.
Police says gunmen abducted miners working in the Mach coal field and took them to nearby hills, where they were shot dead.
Police said that more than 10 miners were also injured in the firing, many of whom are in critical condition. The injured were taken to Mach Hospital.
Heavy contingents of police, administration and Fronter Crops (FC) has reached the spot after the incident.
Authorities have not yet provided further details about the incident, but sources say the men belong to the Hazara community, and were allegedly killed by religious extremists after identification.
Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said that security forces had surrounded the area and started the investigation. “we will bring the terrorists to justice,” he vowed.
It may be recalled that in Balochistan, members of the Hazara community have been targeted in past too by religious extremists through target killings and bomb blasts, in which thousands of people have been killed so far.
Today’s attack has attracted widespread condemnation in Balochistan and social media users are posting against the “gruesome murders”.