The violence targeted the Gobdan area of the Turbat district in southwestern Baluchistan province, a region where nationalist and separatist Baluch groups have fought against the Islamabad-based government for years. However, no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Pakistan, a country that faces a deadly Taliban insurgency and threats from other Islamic extremists.
A large group of gunmen attacked a labor camp near the dam construction site, overpowering eight security guards on the site and shooting dead sleeping laborers before fleeing, government commissioner Pasand Khan Buledi of the Makran division said. Buledi gave the casualty figure and said the attack wounded three people.
Buledi said 16 of the dead were from Pakistan's Punjab province and four were from Sindh province.
Gunmen kill 19 in southwestern Pakistan
Baluchistan government spokesman Jan Mohammad Buledi said a search operation was underway to catch the fleeing attackers. He said the government would offer the families of the deceased 1 million rupees (nearly $10,000) each.
Baluchistan is the scene of a low-intensity insurgency by separatists who want substantial share of revenue from gas and mineral resources and complete autonomy from Islamabad. Islamic militants also operate in the area.
It was the deadliest recent attack to target civilians in the region. In September 2012, 10 laborers and five tribesmen in a labor camp were gunned down in the province's Khuzdar district.
