ISLAMABAD: Gunmen have stormed a five-star hotel in the southwestern Pakistani port city of Gwadar, the centrepiece of a multi-billion dollar Chinese infrastructure project in the country, a provincial minister said Saturday.

"Up to four armed men entered the Pearl Continental hotel in Gwadar and opened fire," Balochistan provincial home minister Ziaullah Langu told AFP by telephone.

He said the "majority" of guests had been evacuated and security forces were engaging the militants.

"However, there are reports of a few people sustaining minor injuries," he added.

Mohammad Aslam, the on-duty officer in Gwadar, said he could hear gunfire but that the operation was coming to an end.

"There were no Chinese or Pakistani guests in the hotel", he said, adding that only staff were present in the building.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.