At least 42 people, including women and children, died after gunmen opened fire on the vehicle in which they were travelling in Pakistan's Kurram district on Thursday.

The passenger vehicle was reportedly carrying Shiite Muslims.

The convoy was reportedly travelling from Parachinar to Peshawar regions of the country when it was targeted.

According to reports, the region has often witnessed sectarian clashes between majority Sunni Muslims and minority Shiites in recent times.

The unidentified gunmen reportedly kept firing on the vehicle for nearly an hour.

KP Law Minister Aftab Alam told Geo News that an investigation is underway to determine facts behind the incident and confirmed that the number of deaths in the incident climbed to 42.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and PM Shehbaz Sharif have condemned the attack.

Pakistan has been witnessing a spike in terror activities in recent times.

Pakistan has witnessed sectarian tension in the past with Shiite Muslims comprising 15 percent of the 240 million population of Sunni-majority country.