A group of gunmen have stormed a hotel in northern Pakistan, killing ten foreign tourists, Pakistani security officials report. Chinese, Russian and Ukrainian citizens were among the victims of the attack.

This is the first attack on tourists in the far flung region of the country and the motives behind it are unclear as of yet.

"Unknown people entered a hotel where foreign tourists were staying last night and opened fire," Ali Sher, a senior police officer in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan province, told Reuters. "They killed 10 foreign tourists and fled."

He added that three Chinese, five Ukrainians, one Russian and a guide were gunned down in the attack that happened at around 1:00 am local time (20:00 GMT).

Authorities have deployed a large number of security personnel to the area and have sealed off the scene of the crime.

The bodies will have to be recovered by helicopter because of the remoteness of the northern province that borders China and Kashmir, an anonymous official told Reuters.