Quetta: At least 25 people, including soldiers and railway staff, were killed and over 50 sustained injuries after a blast ripped through Quetta railway station in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Saturday.
“The blast took place inside the railway station when the Peshawar-bound express was about to leave for its destination,” a police officer was quoted as saying by Geo TV.
Quetta Division Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat later told the media that it was a suicide attack. The suicide bomber entered the station with luggage, he added.
The train was scheduled to depart for Peshawar at 9 am. “Fourteen army personnel are among the 25 confirmed dead,” AFP reported quoting Muhammad Baloch, a senior local police officer.
Six railway employees were also among the dead.
According to reports, the Baloch Liberation Army—a militant separatist group in Pakistan—claimed responsibility for the blast. The militant group said the explosion was carried out by its Fidayee unit. It further added that they had targeted the Pakistani Army unit, which was returning via Jaffer Express from the Infantry school after completion of a course.
Smarter terrorist blown up at the railway station in the Pakistani city of Quette
As a result of the terrorist attack, 24 people were killed, at least 50 were injured.
The NA mode is now being entered.Rescuers work there.
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— OSINT Wartec (@OSINTMilitia) November 9, 2024
In a purported press release circulated on the social media, the militant group said the attack was executed by the BLA’s Fidayee unit, Majeed Brigade. The release was issued in the name of BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch.
The death toll may rise, indicated the authorities. Emergency has been sounded in all hospitals. Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, resource-rich Balochistan is home to separatist militants.
In the past, militants had targeted energy projects with foreign financing, most notably from China, accusing outsiders of exploiting the region while excluding residents from the profits, an Hindustan Times report stated.
