Islamabad, Oct 27 (IANS): Four policemen, including an officer, were killed in an attack on a police vehicle in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an official said on Wednesday.

The police personnel were on a routine patrol late Tuesday night when unidentified armed men riding on motorcycles sprayed bullets on their vehicle in the Wanda Mir Alami area of Lakki Marwat district of the province, Deputy Commissioner of Lakki Marwat district Iqbal Hussain told Xinhua news agency.

He said the miscreants fled the scene after carrying out the attack, adding that a search operation in the area had been launched to arrest them.

Following the incident, a heavy contingent of police reached the site and cordoned off the area. All the entry and exit points of the district were also fully guarded by police to apprehend the fleeing culprits.

Banned militant group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed the attack in a statement sent to local media, however, it has not been officially confirmed yet.