At least five people were killed and two injured in an attack by armed men on the construction site of a dam in Balochistan’s Panjgur officials said on Tuesday. Victims were local workers responsible for maintaining the dam.

The attack occurred in the Paroom area, where armed assailants on motorcycles opened fire on the workers. This incident follows a recent shooting in the district that claimed the lives of seven labourers from Punjab.

Balochistan has been grappling with a surge in terrorist activities, with the province and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounting for 97% of the 722 fatalities reported in the first three quarters of this year, as per the Centre for Research and Security Studies.

The five dead, and two injured, all worked at the construction site in the Panjgur, spokesperson for the Balochistan government Shahid Rind said in a statement, saying the attack took place late at night.

A police official, speaking on anonymity, told Reuters close to a dozen assailants were involved in the attack and that the victims were watching over equipment at the site dam construction site on behalf of a private contractor.

Bodies of the deceased have been transported to Panjgur Teaching Hospital, and investigations are under way.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the attack, labelling it “unforgivable,” and pledged to bring those responsible to justice.

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President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed their condolences and called for swift action against the perpetrators, emphasizing that such violence undermines the development and prosperity of Balochistan.

“Such cowardly attacks will not deter the government’s resolve to develop Balochistan,” PM Shehbaz said in a statement.

(With input from Reuters)