Daijiworld Media Network - Quetta

Quetta, May 24: At least 24 people were killed and more than 50 injured in a powerful blast targeting a train carrying military personnel in Quetta on Sunday, according to media reports.

The explosion took place in the Chaman Pattak area of Quetta in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan when an explosive-laden car rammed into a carriage of the train as it was passing a signal point, AFP reported quoting a senior official.

Army servicemen were among those killed in the attack, while several others sustained injuries. Officials said the train was carrying military personnel, including army officers and their family members.

The blast caused partial damage to the train and also damaged at least 10 vehicles parked nearby. The impact shattered windows and glass panels of surrounding buildings, according to reports by Geo News.

Visuals from the site showed a severely damaged train carriage lying on its side as rescue workers and locals searched through the wreckage for survivors.

The banned militant outfit Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, a spokesperson of the group said the train was transporting military personnel from Quetta Cantonment.

Officials said some of the personnel were travelling to celebrate the upcoming Eid holiday, scheduled to begin on Tuesday.

Following the incident, an emergency was declared in government hospitals across the Quetta region, with doctors and medical staff called in to handle the large number of casualties.

Railway authorities halted the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express at Quetta Railway Station as a precautionary measure after the blast.

Babar Yousafzai, spokesperson for the home minister, said all relevant institutions had been placed on high alert. He appealed to the public to stay away from the blast site to allow rescue and emergency operations to continue smoothly.

Pakistan’s Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi condemned the incident, describing it as a cowardly act of terrorism. He claimed that “anti-Pakistan elements operating from India and Afghanistan” were involved in sponsoring terrorism to destabilise the country.