Pakistan Train Bombing
23 Dead, 70 Hurt After Fiery Explosion
Published
At least 23 people were killed and roughly 70 others injured after a suicide bombing targeted a passenger train in Pakistan over the weekend.
The deadly attack happened in Quetta Sunday morning when an explosives packed vehicle detonated near a railway line as a train passed through the area.
🇵🇰 The Balochistan Liberation Army just claimed the Quetta train bombing in Pakistan.
Their “fidayee” suicide unit, meaning self-sacrificing, carried out the attack, targeting what the BLA called “occupying forces” travelling from Quetta Military Cantonment.
The BLA is a… https://t.co/q6O22RbGrV pic.twitter.com/5RcH1dEA1D
@MarioNawfal
The massive blast reportedly overturned two train cars and set them on fire … sending thick black smoke into the sky and leaving behind twisted wreckage.
Authorities say a separatist group claimed responsibility for the attack, reportedly saying it targeted security personnel believed to be onboard.
Local reports say the train was carrying army personnel and their family members traveling for the Eid al-Adha events.
Photos from the scene show heavily damaged rail cars, armed security forces and rescue crews pulling victims from the wreckage. Nearby buildings and several parked vehicles were also damaged in the explosion.
Officials say more than 20 of the injured remain in critical condition.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the bombing, calling it a “cowardly act of terrorism” and vowed to continue to fight to “eliminate terrorism.”