An explosion derailed a train in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province, killing dozens and injuring many others on Sunday, officials said. A senior official told AFP the train was carrying military personnel; authorities said soldiers and their family members were on board heading from Quetta to Peshawar.
Officials initially said at least 24 people were killed and more than 50 wounded. Local reporting from the Balochistan Post gave a higher toll, saying roughly 30 people died and about 70 were injured. Authorities have not released a final confirmed casualty figure.
The blast occurred on a railway track as the train approached the city’s cantonment area. The explosion derailed multiple carriages, triggered a major fire, and left images showing the train on its side while people climbed over wreckage searching for survivors. Heavy gunfire was also reported near the scene, and several city hospitals declared emergencies.
Babar Yousafzai, a special assistant in the provincial home department, said security forces and rescue teams were quickly deployed and investigators were working to determine the cause of the blast.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group said a subunit it identified as Majeed Brigade carried out what it called a “highly organised fidayee attack.” Fidayee is a term often used to describe suicide attacks. Pakistani authorities are continuing to investigate the claim and the circumstances of the explosion.
Balochistan, a resource-rich province and a key corridor in the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has long experienced an insurgency by separatist groups. Those militants say the central government has exploited the region’s natural resources without adequately benefiting the local population, and attacks on security forces and infrastructure have been a recurring feature of the conflict.
Emergency response and forensic teams remain at the scene. Officials have appealed for calm as hospitals treat the wounded and investigations proceed to confirm the full scale and motive of the attack.