ISLAMABAD, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Firing at a wedding ceremony killed at least nine persons including the bride and the bridegroom in southwestern Pakistan Tuesday, police and witnesses said.

    Local tribesmen and an opposition nationalist group alleged that security forces opened fire at the ceremony at the town of Sui in the Balochistan province. However, there has been no official confirmation of the claim.

    Several persons were also injured, witnesses said.

    They said that the incident created tension in the area and police had faced difficulties to collect the bodies and to shift the injured to hospitals.

    District Police Officer Ashfaq Jamal said that the police had succeeded to control the situation and to remove bodies and injured.

    Local tribesmen fighting for more political rights and share in the natural resources claimed that security forces had fired at the ceremony.

    The town of Sui is famous for having the huge natural gas reservoir and the security forces are battling the anti-government nationalist groups in the area.

    Balochistan has seen incidents of violence in recent years.

    On Monday, unidentified gunmen kidnapped the United Nation refugee head from Quetta, the provincial capital Monday and his driver was shot and killed.

    There has been no information about the whereabouts of John Solecki and police say they have taken into custody 15 people for questioning.