QUETTA, Pakistan — A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a railway track as a passenger train passed through the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Sunday, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 70 others, officials said.
The force of the explosion caused two train cars to overturn and catch fire, sending thick black smoke into the air, according to video shared online.
The attack happened in an area where security forces are usually stationed, badly damaging nearby buildings and smashing more than a dozen vehicles parked along the road, according to witnesses and images circulating on social media.
Three security officials, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press the bodies were transported to hospitals. Doctors at local hospitals said they received the wounded, with 20 in critical condition.
The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, which demands independence from Pakistan’s central government, claimed responsibility in a statement sent to reporters. The militant group said it targeted a train carrying security personnel.
Quetta is the capital of the conflict-torn Balochistan province. The oil- and mineral-rich region has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency. The insurgents frequently target security forces, government installations and civilians in the province and elsewhere in the country.
“We strongly condemn the targeting of innocent civilians and are deeply saddened by the loss of precious human lives. Terrorist elements deserve no leniency,” said Shahid Rind, a Balochistan provincial government spokesman.
He said a medical emergency was declared at hospitals in Quetta and an investigation has been launched.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly act of terrorism” on social media and offering condolences to the families of the victims. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti also denounced it, saying the assailants targeted “innocent civilians, including women and children,” vowing to “hunt” them down.
Bugti and the federal government in Islamabad often use “Fitna al-Hindustan” — or “the Curse of Hindustan,” the Persian-language name for India — to refer to the BLA, which they allege is backed by India. New Delhi denies the allegation.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari joined condemnation of the bombing, saying militants and their backers sought to undermine the country’s role in regional and international peace efforts. Pakistan has played a leading role in mediating talks between the U.S. and Iran to end the war that began Feb. 28.
Zardari promised in a statement that his country “will defeat terrorists, their facilitators, financiers and those providing them safe havens.”
Pakistan and India have long had strained relations and have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, which is claimed by both in its entirety.
Although Pakistani authorities say they have quelled the insurgency, violence in Balochistan has persisted.
At least 26 people, including soldiers, were killed in 2024 when a suicide bomber attacked a train station in Balochistan.
Sattar and Ahmed write for the Associated Press.
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