Karachi: At least 11 coal miners from Pakistan's Shia Hazara community were killed and four others injured on Sunday by unidentified gunmen who initially kidnapped them in the restive southwestern province of Balochistan, in the latest targeted attack on the minority communities in the country.
According to police, the miners were on the way to work at Machh coal field when the unidentified gunmen kidnapped them and opened fire on them after taking them to the nearby hills, the Express Tribune reported.
Six of the miners died on the spot and five who were critically wounded died on the way to a hospital. Four others were also injured.
According to media reports, an initial investigation has revealed that the attackers identified the miners as being from a Shia Hazara community and the gunmen took them away, leaving others unharmed.
A heavy contingent of police, Frontier Corps, and district administration officials reached the site after the incident.
Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the killing of 11 coal miners and termed the incident a "yet another cowardly [and] inhumane act of terrorism".