Baluchistan, May 24: At least 24 individuals, including multiple military servicemen, were killed after a vehicle packed with heavy explosives struck an active train carriage in Pakistan’s southwestern territory Sunday, regional authorities affirmed.
The targeted strike took place as the Peshawar-bound passenger transit departed from the Quetta Cantonment zone. Investigators stated that the vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated upon striking a carriage near the Chaman Pattak railway signal, setting off a secondary fire that quickly spread through the immediate seating sections. Emergency officials confirmed that more than 50 passengers sustained severe trauma, with women and children listed among the casualties.
The state’s immediate counter-response involved suspending all regional rail traffic, including halting the nearby Jaffar Express, to prevent subsequent attacks along the line.
“Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared, offering formal condolences to the families of the deceased.
According to a status update from Balochistan provincial official Babar Yousafzai, law enforcement agencies have placed all municipal institutions on high alert while forensic teams sift through the debris. The force of the explosion left surrounding commercial buildings in shambles, prompting civilian volunteers to scale the overturned carriages to extract trapped survivors before first responders arrived. Regional administrators noted that security protocols around transit infrastructure are undergoing immediate revisions to counter evolving cross-border threat tactics.
