At least 10 bus passengers were shot dead Tuesday in northern Pakistan after they were ordered to disembark from the vehicle.
The attackers stopped the bus in Bonar Das area of Chilas city and ordered the passengers to get off the vehicle, before opening fire on them.
The gunmen pushed the bus into a river after the attack, Xinhua quoted the local Urdu channel AAJ TV as saying.
The victims were suspected to be Shia Muslims since the attack came soon after clashes between Sunni Muslims and police in neighbouring Gilgit city.
They were protesting against the arrest of their people. The violence had also spread to Chilas, where at least five buses were set on fire. A curfew was imposed in Chilas.