Picnic ends in hail of bullets: 7 friends shot dead in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunwala

Seven men who set out for a picnic at Tanda Dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa never made it back alive. Unidentified gunmen ambushed their vehicle late Saturday, killing all but one, police said. A search is on for the assailants, whose motive remains unknown.

Peshawar: At least seven people were killed and another injured when unidentified gunmen ambushed a group of friends returning from a picnic in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said on Sunday.

The victims were attacked late Saturday in Regi Shino Khel, a suburban area of Kohat district, about 65 kilometres southwest of Peshawar.

They were on their way back from Tanda Dam to their native village Khara Ghari Muhammad Zai, when the assailants opened fire, police said.

Rescue 1122 officials assisted by police contingents shifted the bodies and the injured to District Headquarters Hospital Kohat.

The wounded man was later referred to a hospital in Peshawar for specialised treatment.

Police confirmed that the deceased and the injured were all friends.

The assailants fled the scene, while a search operation has been launched to trace them, officials said.

Authorities have registered a case and started investigations to determine the motive behind the killings.