QUETTA: Unknown gunmen shot dead six labourers in a remote town in Balochistan, officials said Friday, in the latest bout of violence to rock the  region.

The murders took place overnight in Lajjey, about 170 kilometres (105 miles) southwest of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan.

"Unidentified gunmen shot dead six labourers and wounded another, who is in critical condition," local government official Hashim Ghilzai told AFP.

The labourers, from eastern Punjab province, were working on a mobile tower and were sleeping in tents at the site when the gunmen attacked, Ghilzai said, adding that "it appeared to be an act of terror".

Local security official Tariq-ur-Rehman confirmed the incident and casualties.

No group has claimed responsibility for the killings.

Separatist militants have previously targeted ethnic Punjabi and Sindhi labourers in Balochistan.