Deadly suicide blast rips through Pakistan train route, killing at least 23

Quetta, Pakistan — A suicide bomber struck a passenger train in southwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least 23 people and injuring approximately 70 others in an attack claimed by a militant separatist group, officials said.

The explosion occurred when an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near a railway track as the train passed through Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. The force of the blast derailed two rail cars, causing them to overturn and burst into flames. Thick black smoke billowed over the area as nearby buildings sustained heavy damage and more than a dozen parked vehicles were destroyed.

Rescue workers rushed victims to local hospitals, where medical staff reported that roughly 20 of the injured were in critical condition.

The Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist group waging an insurgency for the province's independence from Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group stated it had targeted a train carrying security personnel. According to reports, the train was transporting army personnel and their family members from Quetta to Peshawar to celebrate the Eid holiday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the assault, calling it a cowardly act of terrorism and vowing that those responsible would face justice.

"I strongly condemn the heinous bomb explosion near Chaman Phatak, Quetta, which has resulted in the tragic loss of innocent lives and left many others injured," Sharif said. "Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan. We remain steadfast in our determination to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations."

The prime minister offered condolences to the families of the victims and wished a swift recovery to those injured, stating that the entire nation stood with the people of Balochistan.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti also responded to the attack, alleging that the militant group receives support from foreign-backed proxies. He warned that security forces would pursue the perpetrators and their collaborators relentlessly.

"Let the enemy hear this: there will be no safe haven left for terrorists in Balochistan," Bugti said. "We will hunt down the terrorists, their facilitators, and their masterminds one by one and bring them to justice, and this war will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated."

The bombing follows a pattern of increasingly aggressive attacks by the Balochistan Liberation Army, which has carried out multiple suicide operations targeting Pakistani security forces and infrastructure in recent years. Last year, at least 26 people, including soldiers, were killed in a similar suicide bombing at a train station in the province.