Baluchistan, May 24: A powerful bomb attack targeting a passenger train in southwestern Pakistan killed at least 24 people and left more than 50 others injured Sunday morning, international news agencies reported from the region.
The high-intensity blast occurred near the Chaman Pattak signal junction in Quetta, the provincial capital of the volatile Balochistan province. According to regional administrative sources, an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into one of the carriages of a moving train shuttle that was transporting Pakistani army personnel and their families from Quetta toward Peshawar ahead of the upcoming Eid holiday. The collision detonated a massive payload, causing multiple transit bogies to derail and instantly catch fire.
Eyewitness accounts and localized video footage from the disaster zone showed thick columns of dark smoke rising above two overturned train carriages, with nearby residential quarters and parked vehicles sustaining significant structural damage.
“Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated in a public message. “We remain steadfast in our determination to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”
Emergency response teams, accompanied by armed paramilitary personnel, cordoned off the railway line to execute immediate rescue operations. Local government representative Babar Yousafzai noted that a medical state of emergency has been declared at all primary public hospitals in Quetta, with specialized surgical teams recalled to treat incoming victims, many of whom remain in critical condition. Authorities maintained that a formal investigation is actively underway to determine the precise security gaps that allowed the vehicle access to the railway boundary.
