Quetta (Web Desk) The terrorists attacked a train taking its passengers, including women and children, hostage in Balochistan’s Bolan area, the security sources stated on Tuesday.
The Jaffar Express, traveling with more than 400 people on board, was en route from Quetta to Peshawar when it came under attack in the Peru Kanri area of Kach district.
The militants, who fired upon the train, injured the driver and managed to seize control while the train was inside a tunnel.
The passengers have been trapped in a remote, mountainous region near the border of Afghanistan and Iran.
Security forces swiftly arrived at the site in the Mushqaf area of Bolan district, navigating challenging terrain to reach the scene.
The situation remains tense, with the attackers reportedly in communication with their external facilitators.
Authorities have launched a full-scale operation aimed at rescuing the hostages and neutralizing the militants.
Despite the difficulties posed by the winding roads, security personnel have managed to reach the area to provide assistance and coordinate efforts.
Most of the passengers held hostage are women and children, which has heightened the urgency of the response.
Following the attack, emergency measures have been enacted across the area.
The provincial government has mobilized all available resources, with a relief train and additional security units dispatched to the location.
As per the sources the assailants, after blowing up a section of the railway track, engaged in a fierce exchange of gunfire with security officers onboard the train.
Railway authorities confirmed the number of passengers and provided further details, noting that the Jaffar Express, consisting of nine bogies, departed Quetta at 9am that morning.
Meanwhile, the Civil Hospital in Quetta also declared an emergency, with a spokesperson for the Health Department, confirming that all medical personnel, including consultants, doctors, pharmacists, and nurses, had been called in to assist.
Several hospital wards were cleared to accommodate the expected emergency cases as the operation continues.
The authorities are committed to resolving the situation and ensuring the safe release of the hostages.
In a statement, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, stating that those responsible for firing on innocent civilians do not deserve any mercy.
He also prayed for the swift recovery of those injured in the firing.
* This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves.