At least 23 people were killed after they were forcibly taken out of vehicles by gunmen in Balochistan Province in southwest Pakistan on Monday. The militants checked their identities after they forced them out of the bus and shot them in two different attacks.

The assailants obstructed the inter-provisional highway in Musakhel’s Rarasham district making the passengers get down from the bus, said assistant commissioner Musakhail Najeeb Kakar. “Vehicles travelling to and from Punjab were inspected, and individuals from Punjab were identified and shot”, Kakar reported. He said, while three of the killed were from Balochistan, the others were from Punjab.

Deputy commissioner Hamir Zahir reported that at least 10 trucks were set on fire and the drivers were killed. Police later arrived at the spot and sent the bodies to the hospital.