QUETTA, June 14: Seven army soldiers, a police constable and a passer-by were killed on Thursday when some armed men riding on a car sprayed a van with bullets on the Zarghoon road, police said.

However, a spokesman for the ISPR said six soldiers had lost their lives in the shooting near the Railways Rest House.

The dead were identified as Tanveer Ahmed, Mohammad Asghar, Arshad Hussain, Ehsanullah, Zafar Iqbal, Kamran Beg, Mohammad Aziz, Mohammad Arshad and Daud.

Police said the victims were going to the Quetta Staff College from the railway station on a hired Suzuki after arriving in the city by Chiltan Express.

When the van reached near the Railway Rest House, the armed men opened fire, killing seven people on the spot and wounding six others seriously.

The armed men also shot at two policemen on a motorcycle, injuring them seriously. One of the policemen died in hospital.

Hospital sources said all the victims had received multiple bullet injuries. Two of the injured were in a critical condition, they said.

“We are investigating the tragic incident, but at present not in a position to fix the blame,” DIG Rehmatullah Niazi told Dawn.

No claim of responsibility was made till the filing of this report.