May 24 (THEWILL) — At least 20 people were killed and about 70 others injured on Sunday after a suspected suicide bomber targeted a train carrying military personnel and their families in Pakistan’s troubled southwestern Balochistan province.
The deadly attack occurred near Chaman Phatak station in Quetta, the provincial capital, while the train was transporting soldiers and civilians heading home for the Eid celebrations.
Railway authorities said the powerful explosion derailed the train’s engine and three coaches, while at least two additional carriages overturned due to the impact of the blast.
Eyewitnesses reported scenes of devastation, with mangled train coaches, burnt vehicles, and debris scattered across the railway track and surrounding area.
Residents said the explosion shook nearby neighbourhoods and shattered windows in surrounding buildings.
“The train was moving and there were passengers on board when the explosion occurred,” a resident, Naseer Ahmed, told local media, adding that many families were asleep when the blast erupted early Sunday morning.
Witnesses claimed a vehicle laden with explosives rammed into the moving train before detonating, although authorities had yet to officially confirm the exact nature of the attack.
The separatist militant group, the Balochistan Liberation Army, claimed responsibility for the bombing, describing it as a suicide operation targeting military personnel.
Police and civil administration officials in Balochistan confirmed that at least 20 people died in the blast, warning that the casualty figure could rise due to the critical condition of several injured victims. Officials disclosed that three soldiers were among those killed.
Emergency services rushed dozens of wounded passengers to hospitals across Quetta, where authorities declared a medical emergency to handle the influx of casualties.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, condemned the attack, describing it as an act of terrorism aimed at destabilising the country.
“Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan. The entire nation stands in solidarity with the people of Balochistan in this hour of grief,” Sharif said in a statement.
Security officials said the passengers aboard the train had travelled from a nearby military encampment and were heading to Quetta’s main railway station before continuing journeys to Peshawar and other destinations for the Eid holiday.
The latest attack highlights the worsening security crisis in Balochistan, where separatist insurgents have intensified attacks against Pakistani security forces, transport infrastructure, and government facilities.
The Balochistan Liberation Army has repeatedly targeted railway infrastructure in the province over recent years.
In March 2025, militants reportedly hijacked a passenger train travelling to Peshawar and took several passengers hostage during the operation.
The group accuses Pakistan’s federal government of exploiting Balochistan’s vast natural and mineral resources without adequately benefiting local communities.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by landmass, borders Iran and Afghanistan and occupies a strategic section of the Arabian Sea coastline.
Despite its vast territory and mineral wealth, the province remains one of the country’s least developed regions and has experienced decades of insurgency and unrest.
Earlier in February, clashes between separatist militants and Pakistani security forces across Quetta and other parts of Balochistan reportedly left at least 31 civilians dead, underscoring the persistent instability in the region.
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