Islamabad, Aug 10 (IANS): Three officials of Pakistan Customs were shot and killed in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday, police said.

The customs officials were travelling in a car when unknown miscreants opened fire at their vehicle in the Daraban area of Dera Ismail Khan district of the province, police sources in the district told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Two customs personnel were killed on the spot, said the sources, adding that another officer succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital.

Following the incident, police, security forces and rescue workers rushed to the site and shifted the bodies to the District Headquarters Hospital of Dera Ismail Khan.

The assailants fled the scene after committing the crime. Police have registered a case against them and launched an operation in the surrounding areas to arrest on-the-run culprits.

According to local media, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Mahmood Khan condemned the killing of the government officials. He has sought a detailed report into the incident from the concerned authorities.