24 KILLED IN SUICIDE CAR BOMB BLAST TARGETING TRAIN IN PAKISTAN

Sun 24 May 2026:

A suicide car bomb attack on a train carrying soldiers in Quetta, the capital of the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan, has killed at least 24 people and wounded more than 50 others.

The Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist group, has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack.

Reporting from the scene, Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder said several houses and buildings adjacent to the railway line were severely damaged. The blast caused some train carriages to overturn and catch fire.

According to local media reports, a state of emergency was declared at public hospitals in Quetta, with doctors and other medical staff ordered to remain on duty.

The blast was loud enough to be heard in various distant areas of the city and caused damage to nearby buildings. A fire reported to have sparked in nearby cars was controlled after intense efforts involving multiple fire brigade vehicles.

Images showed a mangled train carriage on its side as people clambered over the wreckage to find survivors. People could be seen carrying blood-soaked victims on stretchers away from a derailed car, while armed security forces stood guard.

One video showed about 10 vehicles, mostly small cars, charred as fire and black smoke emerged from some of them. Multiple ambulances could be seen arriving at the site in another video.

Earlier footage showed huge plumes of smoke rising from a raging fire, with at least one train coach turned over at a short distance.

Hyder said Pakistan has experienced several attacks by separatist groups in recent months. The attacks have increased in ferocity and have also targeted Chinese workers due to opposition to Beijing’s infrastructure projects in Balochistan, he added. Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, China’s Xinjiang region has been connected to Pakistan’s Gwadar port.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned the attack in a post on X.

“Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan. We remain steadfast in our determination to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said.

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Meanwhile, an “emergency has been declared in all major government hospitals in Quetta, while doctors, paramedical staff, and medical personnel has been called in on an urgent basis”.

“All possible medical assistance and the best available treatment are being provided to the injured,” the statement.

Meanwhile, the police, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and the bomb disposal squad had reached the incident site to collect evidence.

Pakistan Railways said rescue trucks and a relief train were dispatched to the site to assist in emergency operations.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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