Islamabad, Jul 12 (IANS): Nine police personnel were shot dead Thursday in Lahore in a brazen attack by gunmen who stormed a building where they were asleep, a media report said.

The attackers came on motorcycles and targeted the two-storeyed building in the densely populated area of Ichhra where up to 35 police and prison staff were staying, reported Geo News.

The security personnel had come from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Lahore for training. Their training was scheduled to be completed July 28.

"The gunmen came early in the morning, entered the building and opened fire," Lahore police chief Aslam Tareen was quoted as saying.

The assailants fled after the killing.

The attack took place at about 5.45 a.m. Thursday. All the gunmen were wearing masks over their faces during the attack, reported Xinhua citing media reports.

Three gunmen waited outside the building while the other three carrying automatic weapons entered the house and launched the attack, said police and eyewitnesses.

No group has claimed the responsibility for the attack yet.