Quetta: At least 24 people were killed and more than 50 injured in an explosion on a train carrying military personnel near Chaman Phatak railway station in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Sunday, authorities said.
Authorities said that the blast took place near the railway track in Quetta and caused partial damage to a train, while at least 10 vehicles parked nearby were also damaged.
Such was the intensity of the explosion that glass panels and windows of nearby buildings were shattered, GeoTV reported. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Soldiers were among those killed in the attack in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, AFP reported.
The authorities declared an emergency in government hospitals across Quetta and summoned additional doctors and medical staff to deal with the situation.
The Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express was stopped at Quetta Railway Station as a precautionary measure after the explosion, railway officials said.
Babar Yousafzai, spokesperson for the provincial home minister, said all relevant institutions had been placed on high alert following the blast, as reported by The Times of India.
He also urged people to avoid gathering near the site of the explosion so that rescue and emergency teams could continue operations without obstruction.
An investigation has been launched and authorities are not ruling out the involvement of Baloch militants, though no group has taken responsibility as yet.
