At least three people were killed and seven others injured on Wednesday in an armed attack targeting a passenger bus in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan.

Local sources reported that the bus was en route to Quetta when it came under fire in Kalat district. The injured were transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

Security forces swiftly cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to track down the assailants.

The attack follows a significant uptick in violence across Pakistan in recent months, particularly in Balochistan and the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where militant and separatist groups remain active.