Unknown armed men abducted nine labourers along with their pickup vehicle from the Dasht area of Mastung district in Balochistan on Wednesday evening, according to Levies officials.

Sources said the labourers were working at an under-construction building in Siyah Pesh area of Tehsil Dasht and were heading back in their pickup after completing work when the assailants intercepted them at gunpoint.

The gunmen reportedly released the local driver a short distance away but took the nine labourers and the vehicle with them. The abducted workers are said to belong to various districts of Punjab and Sindh.

Following the incident, the Levies Force and other law enforcement personnel cordoned off the area and launched a search operation in nearby hilly terrain and surrounding localities to recover the kidnapped labourers.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.