10 including 9 foreigners killed in Pakistan's northern area of Gilgit

Ten people including nine foreign tourists and one local guide were shot dead by unknown gunmen in Pakistan's northern area of Gilgit in the wee hours of Sunday morning, said local police on Sunday.

Deputy Inspector General of Gilgit, Ali Sher, said that the ten killed include five from Ukraine, three from China and one from Russia with the tenth's nationality yet to be determined.

Latest news coming in quoted unidentified sources as saying that the tenth killed is a local guide.

Police said that the firing took place at about 12:30 a.m. (local time) Sunday when unidentified gunmen opened fired at tourists living in a hotel at the foot of Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain in the world.

There were an estimated 10 to 12 militants involved in the attack, local media quoted eyewitnesses as saying.

They woke up the tourists in sleep and ordered them to come out of the hotel and opened fire on them, said the report.

Most of the killed were tourists coming here to climb the mountain, police said, adding that the hotel is located at a base camp of Nanga Parbat in the remote Diamir area of Gilgit.

All the bodies have been airlifted by helicopter to the country 's capital Islamabad, said local media.

An official from the Chinese Embassy to Pakistan, who asked to remain anonymous, told Xinhua that they have learned about the news and are contacting the concerned Pakistani departments to know more details about the incident.

Both Pakistani President Zardari and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have condemned the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.