QUETTA, PAKISTAN / MENA Newswire / — At least 24 people were killed and around 70 injured after a bomb blast struck a shuttle train near a railway track in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, officials said. The explosion occurred on Sunday near Chaman Phatak as the train moved from Quetta’s cantonment area toward the city railway station to connect with the Jaffar Express long-distance service.
The train was carrying Pakistani security personnel and family members when the blast hit, according to the railways ministry. The explosion derailed the engine and three coaches, while two coaches overturned near the track. Rescue teams, railway staff and emergency workers moved injured passengers from damaged carriages as security forces sealed the area and searched the site for evidence.
The blast damaged nearby buildings and vehicles in a residential area close to the railway line. Emergency services shifted the wounded to hospitals in Quetta, where doctors treated passengers, security personnel and residents affected by the explosion. The Balochistan government declared an emergency at major hospitals in the provincial capital and instructed medical staff to report for duty as casualties arrived.
Hospitals receive wounded
Pakistan Railways said relief operations were launched after the attack and that personnel were sent to assist with recovery and track clearance. Authorities said the train had been moving through a busy part of Quetta when the explosion took place. Images from the site showed overturned coaches, burned vehicles, debris along the track and rescue workers moving through damaged areas near the railway crossing.
The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack and said the target was security personnel on the train. Authorities described the blast as a vehicle-borne suicide bombing. Officials did not announce a final casualty list, and medical teams continued working through the aftermath as families sought information about passengers taken to hospitals in the city.
Security cordon imposed
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the bombing and expressed condolences to the families of those killed. President Asif Ali Zardari also denounced the attack. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the strike in Quetta and said civilians, including women and children, were among those affected. Officials said an investigation had been opened and that security forces remained deployed around the blast site.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, has faced repeated attacks on security forces, transport links, public sites and infrastructure. The latest blast follows previous violence involving trains and railway facilities in the province, including attacks on passengers and security personnel. Authorities said train operations and rescue activity were being coordinated after the Quetta explosion as investigators examined the damaged track, coaches and nearby vehicles.