Gunmen opened fire on a bus in northern Pakistan, killing at least 18 people.

Gunmen opened fire on a bus in northern Pakistan, killing at least 18 people.

"Armed men hiding on both sides of the road attacked the bus," local police chief in the mountainous northern district of Kohistan Mohammad Ilyas said.
"Initial reports said 18 people have died and eight wounded," he added.

The bus was carrying passengers from Rawalpindi, the city where the Pakistani army is headquartered, to the northern city of Gilgit. The motive was unclear as extrimist militants are not active in the area, police said.

The ambush happened near the town of Harban, 130 miles north of the capital Islamabad.