At least 14 killed in Quetta shuttle train blast: Balochistan govt

At least 14 people were killed and several others injured after an explosion ripped through a shuttle train in Quetta on Sunday (May 24) morning, according to the Balochistan government.

Citing railway authorities, state-run APP reported that the shuttle train was travelling from Quetta Cantonment to the railway station when it came under attack near Chaman Phatak shortly after 8am.

In a statement, Shahid Rind, adviser to the chief minister on media and political affairs, said the death toll from the blast had risen to 14.

Among those killed were three Frontier Corps personnel, he added.

Rind said “multiple people”, including women and children, sustained injuries in the explosion and were shifted to hospital.

“Terrorists targeted innocent civilians,” he said, adding that security forces had sealed off the area.

Authorities were unable to immediately determine the exact nature of the explosion, while fears remained that the number of casualties could increase significantly.

Police, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), and the bomb disposal squad arrived at the site to gather evidence.

Pakistan Railways said rescue vehicles and a relief train had been sent to the area to support emergency operations.

APP reported that the explosion derailed three coaches, including the locomotive, while two coaches overturned.

Speaking to AFP, Mohammad Rahim, who was near the site, said he had been asleep when the explosion struck.

“My family and I jumped out of our beds when we heard a loud bang,” he said.

“I heard screaming and the crying of women and children in the building, including my family.”

Another witness, Abdul Basit, told AFP he was waiting in line to buy breakfast when the explosion occurred.

“People started running for shelter,” he said.

Mujib Ahmad, whose vehicle was damaged in the blast, said he immediately suspected an attack.

“When I heard the blast, I thought that it must be an attack,” he told AFP.

Later, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Quetta and jointly chaired a meeting with CM Bugti, according to a statement issued by the interior ministry.

The Balochistan police chief presented a preliminary report on the explosion during the meeting, the statement said.

“The meeting strongly condemned the cowardly attack on innocent people and extended condolences to the families of those who lost their lives,” it added.

Condemnations

Condemning the attack, President Asif Ali Zardari said such acts of terrorism were intended to harm the people of Pakistan and distract from the country’s efforts toward global peace.

“The president said elements hostile to Pakistan are attempting to undermine our initiatives that serve broader humanitarian objectives, global peace and progress,” the presidency said.

He added that terrorists and their backers were also “seeking to disrupt Pakistan’s focus on stability and development”.

Zardari said there should be no doubt that Pakistan would defeat terrorists, their facilitators, financiers, and those providing them shelter, while also foiling every conspiracy against peace, stability, and national security.

The president further said Pakistan would neither forget nor forgive terrorists and their supporters, vowing that every drop of blood shed would be accounted for.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also strongly denounced the “heinous bomb explosion”.

“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 wrote on X.

The prime minister expressed condolences to the bereaved families and wished those injured a swift recovery.

“The entire nation stands in solidarity with the people of Balochistan in this hour of grief,” he added.

Bugti, in a post on X, strongly condemned the attack, saying: “The terrorists of Fitna al Hindustan are proving their savagery by targeting innocent civilians, women, and children.”

The state has designated terrorist groups based in Balochistan as Fitna-al-Hindustan to underscore India’s alleged involvement in terrorism and destabilisation efforts inside Pakistan.

“Let the enemy hear this: there will be no safe haven left for terrorists in Balochistan. We will hunt down the terrorists, their facilitators, and their masterminds one by one and bring them to justice, and this war will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated,” Bugti said.

Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi also condemned what he described as a “cowardly act of terrorism”, saying it would not shake the country’s resolve against militancy.

In a statement, Abbasi alleged that “anti-Pakistan elements operating from India and Afghanistan were sponsoring terrorism to destabilise the country”.

The minister instructed relevant authorities to submit an immediate report on the incident.

He also reiterated that Pakistan Railways operations would continue uninterrupted despite the attack.

Abbasi said hostile forces were engaged in activities aimed at spreading fear and unrest in Pakistan.

Describing terrorists as “enemies of humanity”, the minister said they would be “brought to a disgraceful end”.

“Terrorist networks operating from India and Afghanistan would never be allowed to succeed in their nefarious designs against Pakistan,” Abbasi said.