QUETTA – At least 20 miners were killed and seven others injured after a group of armed men attack a private coal mine in Duki area of Balochistan province of Pakistan.
A police officer told media that the armed men attacked the Junaid Coal Company mines with heavy weapons in the wee hours of Friday. He said the assailants also launched rockets and grenades at the mines.
An official of a district hospital confirmed that 20 bodies and seven injured were received following the attack.
Duki District Council Chairman Khairullah Nasir also confirmed the attack on mines, stating that the armed men fired hand grenades and rocket launchers at the mines followed by firing.
The attackers also torched 10 coal engines and other machinery and fled from the scene.
The district administration, police and Frontier Corps (FC) teams had reached the site after they received information about the attack.
Reports said three of the victims have been identified as Afghan nationals. The injured persons have been shifted to Loralai Tehsil Headquarters for medical treatment.
The attack comes as security has been tightened across the country, including Balochistan, as over 50 people were killed in terrorist attacks in August.
It also comes as the country is preparing to host a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad from October 15-16.
