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

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

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

"The gunmen attacked a vehicle carrying eight people, who were returning to their work in coalmines, killing six of them and wounding another one," senior local administration official said.

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 Baluchistan has been recently a focus for rising violence.