At least 28 people were killed and around 90 others injured after a suspected suicide bombing targeted a passenger train in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province. Officials said several victims remained in critical condition as emergency teams continued rescue operations.
According to security and health authorities, the attacker allegedly drove an explosives-filled vehicle into the train, which was reportedly carrying military personnel alongside civilians. The explosion occurred near the railway track as the train traveled toward the cantonment area of the city.
Witnesses described the blast as extremely powerful, with the sound heard across several miles. Nearby houses and vehicles suffered major damage, while panic spread throughout surrounding neighborhoods. Authorities also reported heavy gunfire shortly after the explosion.
The banned militant organization Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the assault, stating that the operation targeted military personnel. Emergency measures were immediately enforced at multiple hospitals in Quetta as medical staff treated the injured.
Officials said security forces and rescue teams quickly secured the area while investigators examined the nature and scale of the attack. Balochistan, a resource-rich province connected to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, has witnessed years of separatist violence and militant unrest.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the bombing, declaring that acts of terrorism would not weaken the country’s determination to eliminate extremism and restore national security.
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PRESS UPDATE