Pakistan coal miners kidnapped by possible insurgents

QUETTA, Pakistan, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Eight coal miners were kidnapped by armed men Wednesday in Pakistan's Balochistan province, officials said.

A local official said the men were sleeping in a makeshift camp in the Shahrag area, about 100 miles from Quetta, when they were abducted, the Express Tribune reported.

Saijad Gul Kakar said an initial investigation suggested the men were taken by a Baloch separatist group.

A senior official said the groups sometimes kidnap coal miners in attempts to stop corporate mining operations.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions;