- The separatist militant group Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack
- Pakistan’s railways ministry said the explosion caused the locomotive and three coaches to derail
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, describing it as a “heinous bomb explosion
At least 24 people were killed and about 70 others injured after an explosion struck a shuttle train transporting Pakistani security personnel and their families in southwestern Pakistan on Sunday.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the attack occurred in Balochistan, a restive province bordering Iran and Afghanistan, where security forces have been carrying out counterinsurgency operations following a rise in militant violence.
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According to provincial and security officials, the blast hit the train near a railway track in the provincial capital, Quetta.
The shuttle service was conveying passengers from Quetta’s cantonment area to connect with the long-distance Jaffar Express when the incident occurred.
Pakistan’s railways ministry said the explosion caused the locomotive and three coaches to derail, while two additional coaches overturned. Security personnel later sealed off the area as emergency teams launched rescue efforts.
The separatist militant group Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack, describing it as a suicide operation, although the claim has not been independently verified.
A security source said a vehicle carrying explosives rammed into one of the train coaches in a residential district, adding that some residents of nearby buildings were also among the casualties.
Images from the scene showed destroyed vehicles, damaged apartment blocks, twisted rail debris and smoke rising from the wreckage.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, describing it as a “heinous bomb explosion,” while extending condolences to victims’ families and expressing support for residents of Balochistan.
The latest incident adds to a series of attacks targeting rail infrastructure, security forces and public facilities in the province.
In March 2025, militants linked to the Baloch Liberation Army seized the Jaffar Express and held hundreds of passengers hostage before Pakistani forces ended the standoff. The military later reported that 21 hostages, four soldiers and all 33 attackers were killed during the operation.
