Suicide bombing near railway track in Pakistan kills at least 23 people | Pakistan
A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a railway line while a passenger train was traveling in Pakistan’s southwestern city of Quetta, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 70, authorities said.
According to images shared online, the intensity of the explosion that occurred on Sunday caused two of the train carriages to overturn and catch fire, sending thick black smoke into the air.
According to eyewitnesses and images circulating on social media, the attack took place in an area where security forces are usually deployed; Several nearby buildings were heavily damaged and more than a dozen vehicles parked along the road were totaled.
Doctors at local hospitals said they were treating the injured, 20 of whom were in critical condition. Three security officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that the bodies were transported to hospitals after the attack.
The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which demands independence from Pakistan’s central government, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to journalists. The militant group said it targeted a train carrying security personnel.
Quetta is the capital of the rebel-hit Balochistan province. The oil- and mineral-rich region has long been the scene of low-level insurgencies. Insurgents frequently targeted security forces, government buildings, and civilians in the state and elsewhere in the country.
Balochistan provincial government spokesman Shahid Rind said: “We strongly condemn the targeting of innocent civilians and deeply regret the loss of precious human lives. Terrorist elements deserve no tolerance.”
He said that after the explosion, a medical emergency was declared in hospitals in Quetta and an investigation was launched.
Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly act of terrorism” in his post on X and expressing his condolences to the families of the victims.
Balochistan chief minister Sarfraz Bugti strongly condemned the attack in Quetta, saying militants targeted “innocent civilians, including women and children” and promised to “hunt them down” in a post on X.
Bugti and the federal government in Islamabad often use the phrase “Fitna al-Hindustan” to refer to the BLA, which they claim is backed by India. New Delhi denies the claim.
Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari condemned the bombing, saying militants and their supporters were trying to undermine Pakistan’s role in regional and international peace efforts.
The attack came a day after Pakistan said the United States and Iran were close to signing a “memorandum of understanding” to end the war in the Middle East, which began on February 28 after the United States and Israel attacked the Islamic Republic, disrupting global travel and driving up oil prices. US President Donald Trump said a deal on the conflict was “substantially being negotiated” following talks with regional allies including Pakistan.
In his statement, Zardari promised that Pakistan would “defeat terrorists, their enablers, financiers and those who provide them safe havens.”
Pakistan and India have long had tense relations and have fought two of three wars over Kashmir, which they both claim.
Although Pakistani authorities say they have suppressed the rebellion, violence continues in Balochistan. In 2024, at least 26 people, including soldiers, died when a suicide bomber attacked a train station in Balochistan.
