A powerful explosion rocked the area near the railway station in Quetta, resulting in the deaths of 27 individuals and injuring more than 50 others, including both men and women.
The blast prompted an immediate response from rescue teams and a heavy deployment of security forces. Emergency services transported the injured to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Pools of blood and ripped backpacks were seen at the scene, where a large metal sheet protecting passengers from the elements had been blown off.
According to railway authorities, the Jaffar Express was scheduled to depart for Peshawar at 9am. The train had not yet arrived at the platform when an explosion occurred near the ticket office at the railway station.
Quetta’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muhammad Baloch stated that the explosion “appears to be a suicide attack.”
The explosion occurred while a large number of passengers were present on the platform waiting for the Jafar Express to depart, he added.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind stated that police and security forces have cordoned off the area.
At Quetta station, police said they were working to determine the cause of the blast.
“When we reached here, initially it appeared that some explosive had perhaps been hidden or left in the luggage. But now we think it may be a suicide bomber,” Baloch said.
Firefighters, rescuers and passengers were working through abandoned luggage on the platform, guarded by heavily armed members of the security forces.
At the hospital, Mohammed Irfan had to identify two of his relatives killed in the bombing.
“As we woke up we found out there was an explosion,” he said.
“Then we discovered that my uncle and another relative had gone to have tea at the station.”
Mohammed Oumer, one of the casualties, said he went to the station to get a train home to his village.
“But just as we arrived, there was the explosion and I found myself wounded and in hospital,” he told AFP.
Despite frequent attacks in Balochistan the toll of Saturday’s blast was particularly high for the southwestern province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.
The Associated Press of Pakistan cited railway officials as saying the blast happened near the ticket booth when two trains were scheduled to depart.
Initial reports said that the attacker was carrying seven to eight kilogrammes of explosives strapped to his body.
Body parts of the suicide bomber will be sent to the forensic lab in Lahore for analysis and assistance would be sought from the National Database and Registration Authority to confirm his identity, officials said.
A case has been registered at the CTD Police Station in Quetta, including charges related to anti-terrorism.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the blast at the Quetta railway station, offering prayers for the deceased and extending his condolences to their families.
He also instructed that the injured receive medical assistance on a priority basis and sought an investigative report from the Balochistan government regarding the incident.
“Those terrorists who harm innocent and defenceless citizens will have to pay a heavy price. The government and security forces are fully committed to eradicating the menace of terrorism,” PM Shehbaz said.
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Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was grieved over the loss of lives and conveyed his sympathy and condolences to the families of the deceased.
“Terrorists targeting innocent people deserve no leniency,” he said and expressed solidarity with the families of the victims.
“The enemies are attempting to create instability in Pakistan through such cowardly acts, but the nation will unite to thwart this heinous conspiracy.”
(With input from AFP and APP)
