Quetta (Web Desk): At least 26 people were killed and over 60 others injured in a suicide bombing at Quetta Railway Station on Saturday morning.
According to police, the blast occurred on the platform, where passengers had gathered to board the Jafar Express, scheduled to depart for Peshawar at 9:00 am. The explosion sent shockwaves through the crowd, causing widespread panic and chaos.
Emergency response teams, including police and rescue services, arrived quickly on the scene.
The wounded were rushed to Civil Hospital in Quetta, where an emergency was declared.
As per the reports, Civil Hospital’s Medical Superintendent DrAbdul Sattar confirmed that both men and women were among the casualties, with many victims in critical condition.
A hospital spokesperson reported that 46 people were admitted for treatment, and seven were in a critical state.
The suicide attack also targeted two railway police officers, Head Constables Ghulam Rasool Jamali and Bhoral Khan, who were injured in the explosion, according to SSP Operations Muhammad Baloch.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a banned separatist group, later claimed responsibility for the attack.
Provincial officials, including Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, condemned the bombing in the strongest terms.
Bugti expressed his outrage at the attack on civilians, emphasizing that those responsible would be held accountable.
"These terrorists are targeting ordinary people, including women and children," he said, vowing that justice would be served.
Speaking to newsmen, Balochistan government’s spokesperson Shahid Rind and Health Minister Bakht Kakr indicated that the bombing was likely carried out by a suicide bomber who bypassed the station’s walk-through security gates.
Meanwhile, Quetta Division Commissioner, Hamza Shafqaat, confirmed this, noting that the attacker entered through the station's less-secure entry points.
Moreover, authorities have ramped up security, with increased patrols and snap checks in various parts of the city.
This attack comes after Pakistan Railways resumed services between Quetta and Peshawar on October 11, following a suspension that lasted more than six weeks. The suspension had been prompted by a previous BLA attack on August 26, which destroyed a key railway bridge between Kolpur and Mach.