Balochistan, Oct 11: Unidentified gunmen attacked a private coal mines in southwestern Pakistan early on Friday that claimed at least 21 lives and left scores of residents wounded.
The deceased are mostly miners, said the primary investigation.
The sudden attack by 40 armed men days before Pakistan hosts a summit of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization grouping is the worst in weeks in the mineral-rich province of Balochistan bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
Police sources said, at least 40 militants opened fire on the miners wreaking panic for hours in the mining area.They fired rockets and hurled grenades at the mines and miners' quarters.
A decades-long insurgency in Balochistan has led to frequent militant attacks against the government to press demands for a share of regional resources.
