At least 24 individuals have perished and over 50 have suffered injuries following an explosion at a railway station in Pakistan.
The detonation occurred in the southwestern city of Quetta while approximately 100 travelers were awaiting a train to Rawalpindi.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist organization, has taken responsibility for the assault, asserting in a statement that a suicide bomber targeted military personnel at the train station.
Government spokesperson Shahid Rind indicated that the explosion appeared to be a suicide attack; however, investigations are still underway to validate the claims made by the BLA.
Television footage depicted the metal framework of a platform’s roof shattered and a nearby tea stall obliterated, with luggage scattered across the area.
The bomb exploded as passengers were waiting for a train. Pic: Naseer Ahmed/Reuters
Authorities reported that around a dozen security personnel are among the deceased.
Mouzzam Jah Ansari, the police inspector general for Balochistan, stated that many of the injured individuals are in critical condition.
“The target was army personnel from the Infantry School,” he remarked.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared that those responsible for the attack “will suffer severe consequences,” adding that security forces are resolutely focused on eradicating “the threat of terrorism.”
The banned BLA has been engaged in an insurgency for a prolonged period, seeking independence from Islamabad while frequently targeting security forces and foreign nationals.
In the previous month, the group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing aimed at a convoy comprising Chinese nationals outside the Karachi airport, resulting in the deaths of two individuals.
In August, at least 73 people were killed in Balochistan province after separatist militants assaulted police stations, railway tracks, and highways.
Read more from Sky News:
Crypto businessman killed in Brazil airport shooting
Candyman star dies at age 69
Balochistan, which is rich in oil and minerals, is Pakistan’s largest yet least populated province, where separatist and Islamic militants operate.
This region serves as a center for the country’s ethnic Baloch minority, whose members claim to endure discrimination and exploitation from the central authority.
