The bodies of six abducted labourers were recovered from the Nasirabad area of Turbat in Balochistan’s Kech district, police said on Thursday, adding that all the victims had sustained bullet wounds.

Police said investigations into the killings were underway.

According to a government official, the six victims were among a group of seven labourers who had been abducted by unidentified armed men from the Kalatak area of Kech two days earlier.

He said one of the labourers was shot dead shortly after the abduction, while the remaining six were taken away by the attackers.

Their bodies were later found in Nasirabad, Turbat.

The official identified the victims as Mohammad Arshad, Mohammad Taimoor, Mohammad Parvez, Mohammad Wazir, Mohammad Amjad and Mohammad Yahya.

He said four of the deceased belonged to Punjab, while the remaining two were residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Officials blamed the killings on militants belonging to Fitna Al Hindustan, alleging that the victims had been targeted after being kidnapped while working on development projects in the province.

The incident comes only days after five non-local labourers were killed in the Mashkel area of Balochistan, in a separate attack.

Authorities said the victims had been contributing to development projects in the province.