QUETTA: At least 10 workers, including a Turkish national, were killed and eight others injured when armed militants attacked a mining site in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, officials said on Thursday.

The attack targeted a facility operated by National Resources Limited in the Darigwan area of Chagai district on Wednesday evening, around 100 kilometres northwest of Dalbandin.

According to officials, dozens of armed assailants stormed the site from multiple directions, using automatic weapons, rockets, and explosives. The attackers also set fire to machinery, generators, and vehicles during the assault.

Hospital authorities confirmed that 10 bodies were brought to Prince Fahad Hospital in Dalbandin, while eight injured workers were shifted to Quetta for treatment. Officials said several bodies were severely burnt, while others showed bullet and blast injuries.

Among the dead was a Turkish driller, while other victims were Pakistani workers from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Security guards at the site reportedly resisted the attack, resulting in a firefight in which at least three guards were also killed.

Authorities said there were unconfirmed reports that some workers may have been abducted, though this has not yet been verified.

Security forces, including the Frontier Corps, later secured the area and launched a search operation. The company said clearance operations were ongoing and it was coordinating with authorities.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. However, separatist militant groups have long been active in Balochistan, targeting security forces and infrastructure projects in the region.

Officials say violence in the mineral-rich province has increased in recent years, with insurgents alleging exploitation of local resources—claims the government rejects, saying development projects are aimed at economic progress.