26 people died when terrorists targeted train passengers

QUETTA:

At least 26 passengers – including women – were killed and more than 60 others injured when a suicide bomb ripped through Quetta train station on Saturday morning, police said.

The bomber detonated the payload amid passengers waiting on the platform to board the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express, which was scheduled to depart at 9am.

A banned Baloch terrorist group claimed responsibility for the bomb blast that took place a week after terrorists detonated an IED near a girls’ school and a hospital in Mastung district, claiming eight lives, including those of five children.

First responders saw chaos at the scene as passengers lay dead and injured in pools of blood and a large metal shed was blown away from the platform by the impact of the blast. Firefighters, rescue workers and passengers were searching through abandoned luggage on the platform, guarded by heavily armed security forces.

Railway officials said the blast occurred near the ticket office as two trains were about to depart. Rescue workers took the victims to the Civil Hospital, where a state of emergency was declared.

Medical Superintendent Dr Noorullah Musakhail confirmed the death toll and said the victims included both men and women. “We also received 46 injured people,” he said, adding that some of them were being treated for life-threatening wounds.

Sandeman Provincial Hospital spokesman Wasim Baig told AFP that 46 members of the security forces and 14 civilians were injured. SSP Operations Muhammad Baloch said two railway police officers, Ghulam Rasool Jamali and Bhoral Khan, were also among the injured.

Mohammed Omer, one of the injured, said he had gone to the station to catch a train to his village. “But just as we arrived there was the explosion and I was injured and in hospital,” he added.

Mohammed Irfan had to identify two of his deceased relatives at the hospital. “When we woke up, we found there was an explosion,” he said. “Then we discovered that my uncle and another relative had gone for tea at the station.”

Provincial government spokesman Shahid Rind told the media that it was a suicide bombing. Quetta Division Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat added that the attacker may have sneaked into the train station through open entry points, bypassing security gates.

Provincial police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari was quoted by Reuters as saying that “the target was security personnel from the infantry school.” Baig told AFP that “14 security personnel and 12 civilians” were killed in the bombing.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the attackers “will pay a heavy price”, according to a statement from his office. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti strongly condemned the attack and called for an immediate and thorough investigation. He expressed frustration over the continued attacks on innocent civilians and promised justice for the victims.

“These terrorists are deliberately harming ordinary people, including women and children, and they will be held accountable,” Bugti said while speaking at a joint press conference with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who rushed to Quetta after the bombing to attend the funerals of the victims to attend. .

Bugti appealed to people to ‘treat terrorists as terrorists’ and realize that the state was working to counter their menace. He targeted human rights activists, asking why they remained silent about the attack. “Where are they?” Bugti asked.

“They should demand that the government do something about this,” he added. “These people are turning Baloch youth into suicide bombers and practicing politics in this way,” he said. “Terrorists have no nation, this is a fight for all aspects of society: the media, the judiciary, the politicians.”

Replying to a question, the Chief Minister said, “We have to protect every inch of the state and they have to breach only one inch of the state. That causes a lot of damage.” Naqvi added, “The Balochistan government has taken the lead and is empowering the FC. You will see results from the CM’s approach.”

Pakistan Railways had earlier announced that train services between Quetta and Peshawar would be restored from October 11, after a suspension of over one and a half months. Train services across the country were suspended on August 26 after a key railway bridge between Kolpur and Mach was destroyed in an explosion carried out by BLA as part of coordinated attacks across the province.

(With additional input from agencies)