Suicide Bombing Suspected at Train Station in Southwestern Pakistan... 24 Dead

Explosion as Train Attempts Departure from Station Platform
44 Injured Besides Fatalities...Many Critically Wounded
Police Investigate Whether Balochistan Liberation Army Responsible

At a train station in a city in southwestern Pakistan, an explosion presumed to be a suicide bombing occurred on the 9th (local time), killing at least 24 people.

Pakistan Flag Yonhap News

According to major international news agencies, local police said that the bomb exploded on the platform of the train station in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, just as an express train bound for Peshawar, the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was about to depart in the morning. In addition to the fatalities, 44 people were injured. Many of the injured are in critical condition, so the death toll may rise.

Hundreds of people were waiting for the train on the platform at the time of the explosion. The powerful blast damaged the platform and its roof. In connection with this, the Baloch separatist militant group 'Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)' claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing targeting personnel at the train station.

The police said they are investigating this claim. Balochistan, rich in underground resources such as crude oil, has frequently experienced terrorist attacks by Baloch separatist militant groups. In August alone, armed groups repeatedly attacked police stations, railways, and highways, killing at least 73 people. These groups have also been carrying out attacks targeting Chinese workers involved in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) construction projects in Balochistan and other areas for several years. The CPEC project is part of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a land and maritime Silk Road connecting China, Central Asia, and Europe.