Picture used for illustrative purposes only.

Gunmen shot and killed six construction workers overnight in the volatile southwestern Baluchistan province, Pakistani police said on Saturday.

Police officer Hidayatullah Dashti said gunmen opened fire overnight at eight construction workers in the city of Turbat, about 377 miles (about 606 kilometres) south of Quetta — the capital of the province. Two survived, he said, and were hospitalised for treatment.

Dashti said the workers were part of a private construction project in the city.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

For nearly two decades, Baluchistan has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by the Baluchistan Liberation Army and other separatist groups demanding independence from the central government in the capital, Islamabad. Baluch separatists also often target people from Punjab.

Punjabi and Sindhi workers were previously targeted.

Although the government says it has quelled the insurgency, violence in the province has persisted.

Militants also operate in the region.

Associated Press