A government official says gunmen have killed seven road construction workers in southwest Pakistan. Javed Ahmad says the incident took place on Thursday in Mastung district in Baluchistan province. Ahmad is a local official in Mastung, which is located about 30 kilometers (20 miles) east of the provincial capital, Quetta.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the workers, who were employed by the government.

Baluchistan is home to both Islamist militants and separatists who have waged a violent insurgency against the government for decades over greater autonomy and a larger share of the province's natural resources.