At least 23 people were killed and about 70 others wounded Sunday after a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a passenger train in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, The Associated Press reported.
The blast occurred as the train passed, causing two train cars to overturn and catch fire, witnesses and social media images showed, according to The Associated Press. Nearby buildings were heavily damaged and more than a dozen parked vehicles were impacted. Doctors cited by the AP said about 20 of the wounded were in critical condition and several victims were taken to local hospitals.
The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility, saying it had targeted a train carrying security personnel, The Associated Press reported. The Times of India said the train was carrying army personnel and family members traveling from Quetta to Peshawar for the Eid holidays.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly act of terrorism” and saying those responsible would be brought to justice, his office said in a statement. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti accused what he called “Indian-sponsored proxies” of backing the militants and said, “Those who shed the blood of innocent people deserve no leniency,” according to the statement. India has consistently denied such accusations, the AP reported.
The region has long seen a low-level but persistent insurgency involving separatist and militant groups, and the BLA has increasingly carried out large-scale suicide operations targeting security forces and infrastructure, The Times of India reported. In 2024, at least 26 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a train station in Balochistan, the Times of India said.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
