Islamabad: Eleven men, including Pakistani and Afghan nationals, were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the restive Balochistan province when they were trying to cross to Iran as illegal migrants, officials said on Saturday.
The men were ambushed by the gunmen in Suntsar, a mountainous region 80 km from Gwadar port, near the Iranian border late last night.
The gunmen fired at two pick-up trucks in which the men were travelling.
Eleven men, including Pakistanis and Afghans, were killed instantly, officials were quoted as saying by TV news channels.
The men were believed to be part of a group of economic migrants that was trying to illegally cross the border.
The gunmen escaped after the attack.
Bad weather and poor roads hampered rescue efforts.
Personnel of the paramilitary Levies force reached the spot after several hours and shifted the bodies to a hospital in Gwadar.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Rehmat Dashti, Assistant Commissioner of Gwadar district, and other officials confirmed that the dead men were trying to illegally cross into Iran.
The region, where the attack occurred, is often used by human smugglers involved in trafficking migrants to Europe through Iran and Turkey.
PTI
