At least 24 people were killed and around 70 others injured when a massive explosion struck a passenger shuttle train in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's Balochistan province, on Sunday morning. The blast occurred near a railway track in the Faquir Abad area at around 8:00 a.m. local time, according to officials cited by CBS News.
The shuttle had been carrying military personnel and their families from a nearby military encampment to Quetta's main railway station. From there, passengers were set to travel to Peshawar and then on to their home towns for the Eid holiday. Pakistan Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi said the blast derailed the engine and three coaches. Two other coaches overturned. Officials said three soldiers were among the dead.
Eyewitnesses said a vehicle loaded with explosives drove into the train. "The train was moving and there were passengers on board when the explosion occurred," local resident Naseer Ahmed told the BBC. He said the blast shattered all the windows in his home. Area resident Aziz Khan told CBS News that many people were waiting at the train crossing when the explosion occurred. His house "jolted from the explosion," he said, describing a "huge bang, very loud." He added: "Many people (were) killed on spot due to the intensity of the explosion. Gas cylinders in queuing cars also exploded."
A high-ranking Balochistan provincial officer told CBS News that the blast was severe and that the death toll could rise. An emergency was declared in hospitals treating victims. Paramilitary soldiers and volunteers were photographed pulling victims from the wreckage. Photos showed thick black smoke rising from the scene and burnt-out, mangled carriages.
The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it a suicide bombing. Pakistani officials had not yet confirmed that account as of Sunday. The BLA is a separatist group based in Afghanistan that the U.S. State Department has designated a foreign terrorist organization. The group believes Balochistan should be an independent region and frequently targets civilians, soldiers and police.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, saying "such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan." He added: "The entire nation stands in solidarity with the people of Balochistan in this hour of grief." Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on social media that "innocent civilians, including women and children" were killed.
It is not the first time the BLA has targeted trains in Balochistan. The group hijacked a train and took passengers hostage while en route to Peshawar in March 2025. A suicide bombing at a train station in the same region killed at least 26 people, including soldiers and railway staff, in 2024. In early February of this year, coordinated suicide and gun attacks carried out by the BLA killed 18 civilians and 15 security personnel. The BLA accuses Pakistan's federal government of exploiting Balochistan's rich mineral resources without the local population benefiting. The province covers nearly 44% of Pakistan's land but is home to only about 5% of the country's more than 240 million people.
