QUETTA, Pakistan — A powerful suicide bomb attack near a railway station in the southwestern city of Quetta has killed at least 23 people and injured 71 others.
The blast occurred on Sunday morning near the Chaman Phatak crossing just as a passenger train was passing through the area, causing multiple carriages to derail and catch fire.
Okay News reports that the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the deadly strike, stating that its fidayeen unit targeted the train because it was transporting military personnel.
Emergency rescue teams and bomb disposal units rushed to the scene to pull victims from the burning wreckage, while authorities cordoned off the area to launch an investigation into the explosion.
The provincial government of Balochistan has declared a medical emergency in all local hospitals to handle the high volume of casualties, with officials warning that the death toll is expected to rise further as several passengers remain in critical condition.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited the site alongside the provincial chief minister to coordinate the response, strongly condemning the attack as a brutal act of terrorism targeting innocent people.
The mineral-rich Balochistan province has faced a long-running separatist insurgency, with militant groups frequently targeting security forces, government infrastructure, and transport networks across the region.
