Gunmen kill six coalminers in Machh

MACHH: Gunmen shot dead six on Friday, officials said, in what appears to be the latest in a wave of sectarian attacks in Pakistan's troubled southwest.

The incident took place on a road in Machh town, southeast of Quetta, the capital of the oil and gas rich Balochistan province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan.

"The gunmen attacked a vehicle carrying eight Shia Hazaras, who were returning to their work in coalmines, killing six of them and wounding another one," senior local administration official Waheed Shah told AFP.

He said the gunmen who were hiding along the roadside fled after the attack. Another local official, Mumtaz Khatran, confirmed the incident and casualties.

No-one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Balochistan has been a focus for rising sectarian violence targeting Shias, who make up around a fifth of Pakistan's predominantly Sunni Muslim population.

Two huge bomb attacks in Quetta in January and February targeting Shias from the Hazara ethnic community killed nearly 200 people.

Baloch rebels have also been fighting since 2004 for political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the region's natural oil, gas and mineral resources. (AFP)