Karachi: At least 41 minority Shiite Ismaili Muslims were killed and dozens injured after gunmen opened fire on their bus in Pakistan’s southern hub of Karachi, official sources said, with the death toll expected to rise sharply.

‘At least six gunmen attacked a bus in the Safoora Goth area of Karachi killing at least five passengers and injuring dozens,’ a senior police official told AFP.

‘The gunmen stopped the bus and first fired at it from outside,’ said the policeman. ‘Then they entered inside the bus and open fire indiscriminately. After that they checked to see if anyone was left uninjured.

‘The bus had a capacity of 52 passengers but it was overloaded and dozens of people were boarding it. Most of them were from (the) Ismaili community,’ he added.

An official of the Ismaili National Council, a group which represents the community, added: ‘We have confirmation of five dead and dozens injured including women and children in an attack on a bus owned by our community’s welfare board.

‘The dead and injured have been shifted to the private Memon Medical Center nearby,’ he said.

Pakistan, has seen a spike in sectarian violence in recent years, particularly against minority Shiites who represent around 20 percent of the country’s predominantly Muslim population of 200 million.