Islamabad, Jan 4 (TIWN) Pakistan's Balochistan province has been in the grip of terrorist attacks on security personnel and local residents, putting the authorities on high alert 24/7 and in a latest tragic incident, at least 11 coal miners were kidnapped and killed on Sunday by unidentified armed men.

Police authorities said the miners were on the way to work when armed militants kidnapped them and took them to the nearby mountains. Moazzam Ali Jatoi, an official with the Levies Force, said six of the miners were dead on the spot, and five who were critically wounded died on the way to a hospital.

Jatoi said an initial investigation revealed the attackers identified the miners as being from the Shia Hazara community and the gunmen took them away for execution, leaving others unharmed.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.