Balochistan Train Station Bombing: 25 Dead, Dozens Injured in Suicide Attack.
A bomb blast at a railway station in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province has killed at least 25 people and injured dozens more. The explosion occurred as a popular morning train was about to depart from Quetta station, bound for Peshawar.
The Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack, which authorities are investigating as a suicide bombing. The group has been increasingly active in the region, demanding independence and control over local resources.
According to the city’s commissioner, the suicide bomber was among the fatalities, while about 50 others were injured in the blast. Senior police official Muhammad Baloch stated that the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber carrying 6 to 8 kilograms of explosives. The victims included both civilians and military personnel.
Videos shared on social media show the moment of the explosion on Saturday morning, with dozens of people visible on the platform at the time. Footage from the aftermath depicts injured individuals and debris scattered throughout the station.
One of the injured, Abdul Jabbar, recalled the horrifying moment he was entering the station to catch his train. “I can’t describe the horror I faced today, it was like judgment day had come,” he said. Muhammad Sohail, who arrived after the explosion, described the scene as chaotic, with people lying on the ground and screaming for help.
The Balochistan Liberation Army stated that the target of the attack was a Pakistan military unit returning from a training course in Quetta. Police later confirmed that 14 soldiers were among the dead.
The chief minister of Balochistan, Mir Sarfraz Bugti, condemned the attack, calling the perpetrators “worse than animals” and vowed to bring them to justice. Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, also condemned the blast, calling those responsible “enemies of humanity.”
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest and most resource-rich province, but it remains one of the least developed. The region shares a volatile border with Iran and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and has a strategic coastline along the Arabian Sea.
In August, at least 73 people were killed in a series of attacks claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army, which targeted police stations, railways, and highways. The group has been waging a decades-long insurgency to gain independence for the region.