QUETTA, Jan 9: Heavy gun battle erupted in Sui on Sunday night when armed men launched an attack on positions of the Frontier Corps and the Defence Security Guards.

The FC and the DSG personnel returned fire. The exchange of fire was continuing till 1:30 am.

Reports said that both sides were using heavy-calibre weapons. "We cannot come out because of heavy shelling and rocket attacks," a Sui administration official said when contacted over telephone.

According to earlier reports, a woman was killed and 15 other people, including children, injured in heavy exchanges of fire between armed men and law-enforcement personnel in the Sui Township on Saturday night.

Gas supply to the Guddu thermal power plant, which was disrupted after a pipeline was hit by rocket and mortar fire on Saturday, could not be restored on Sunday. Engineers of Pakistan Petroleum were reported to be repairing the pipeline.

The gas supply to the power plant was expected to be restored by Monday morning. "More than 200 rockets and mortar shells were fired during four-hour-long gun battle in Sui," a senior officer of the Sui administration said.

"Over a dozen houses were damaged and a large number of cattle and other animals were killed in the attack," officials said over telephone from Sui. "A mortar shell hit the house of Nawab Bugti in Sui," sources said, adding that the boundary wall and kitchen of the Bugti House were damaged. However, no one was reported hurt in the mortar attack.

Areas affected by rockets and mortar shells include the Mohammad Colony, Bugti Colony, Mundrani Colony, Boghra Colony, Wishal Colony, Hamza Colony and Old Sui Colony.

A petrol pump, owned by Nawabzada Talal Bugti, was damaged in the cross-firing, the sources said. A large number of vehicles were also damaged.. The Sui township and adjoining areas have been without electricity for two days as electric poles and cables have been damaged.