At least 19 people were killed in an explosion in Pakistan.

A suicide bomber detonated a vehicle loaded with explosives near a railway track in Quetta, southwestern Pakistan, as a passenger train was passing. The Associated Press reported this.

 

According to officials, at least 19 people were killed and over 70 were injured in the incident.

 

Videos circulated on social media showed two train carriages overturned and engulfed in flames due to the force of the blast, with thick black smoke covering the sky.

 

According to witnesses and photos shared on social media, the attack occurred in an area where security forces are usually stationed. The explosion caused serious damage to several nearby buildings and damaged over a dozen vehicles parked along the road.

 

The injured have been taken to hospitals, with 20 of them in critical condition.

 

The banned "Balochistan Liberation Army" (BLA) group, which demands independence from Pakistan's central government, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to journalists. The group's statement said the train carrying security personnel was targeted.

 

"We deeply regret the targeting of innocent citizens and the loss of life. There can be no leniency towards terrorist elements," said Shahid Rind, spokesperson for the Balochistan provincial government.

 

According to him, a medical emergency was declared at Quetta hospitals after the blast, and an investigation into the incident has been launched.

 

Although the Pakistani government insists the insurgency has been suppressed, violence continues in Balochistan.

 

In 2024, a suicide attack on a railway station in Balochistan killed at least 26 people.