ISLAMABAD - Some unknown militants gunned down 14 passengers after off-loading them from their bus on gunpoint in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province in the wee hours of Thursday morning, local media reported.

The militants, disguised as security personnel, stopped the bus in the wee hours of morning to check identity cards of the passengers, and off-loaded 16 of them after scanning their identities, local media reported.

The militants, which are said to be 10 to 15 in number, opened fire at the off-loaded passengers, killing 14 of them right at the spot while two others managed to sneak away, taking advantage of the darkness of the night.

The escaping passengers reported the incident to a nearby security forces' check post, who rushed to the incident site for investigation.

Identities of the killed passengers have not been determined yet.

The militants fled the scene after the incident, and a search operation has been launched to hunt them down.

Chief Minister of Balochistan Jam Kamal condemned the attack and said they will make all-out efforts to defeat militancy.