Death Toll in Pakistan Train Hijacking Rises to 31... Including Military and Passengers

The death toll from the train hijacking incident in southwestern Pakistan has risen to 31, the Pakistan military announced.

According to foreign media including AFP on the 15th (local time), Pakistan military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated at a press conference the previous day that 23 soldiers, 3 railway staff, and 5 passengers died in the incident. This is 6 more than the previously estimated death toll of 25.

Among them, 18 soldiers, railway staff, and passengers died after being held hostage for more than 30 hours, and an additional 5 soldiers died during the military's suppression of the hijackers.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist armed group in Balochistan province responsible for the hijacking, claimed that all 214 hostages were executed during the escape process, but Reuters reported that no evidence was provided to support this claim.

On the 14th (local time), a funeral was held for soldiers who died in the armed rebel train hijacking incident in Balochistan Province, northeastern Kashmir, Pakistan. Photo by EPA·Yonhap News

On the afternoon of the 11th, around 1:30 PM, a train departing from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, was entering the Mashkaf Tunnel about 160 km away when dozens of BLA militants blew up the railway tracks to stop the train and launched an armed attack.

At that time, more than 400 people were on board, and some staff including the engineer and passengers died during the incident.

The Pakistan military ended the operation on the night of the 12th, a day after the incident, by raiding the train, killing 33 BLA militants, and rescuing 354 hostages.

Balochistan province borders Afghanistan and Iran and is rich in mineral resources. It is also a location where China is conducting the Belt and Road Initiative (land and maritime Silk Road) infrastructure projects.

Regional insurgents including the BLA claim independence, arguing that the Pakistan government and foreign capital are exploiting the resources, and continue terrorist attacks. In response, the Pakistan military is conducting large-scale suppression operations, and bloody clashes continue in the region.