At least 24 people, including soldiers and railways staff, were killed and over 50 others were injured in a massive blast at Quetta railway station in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan. The incident took place when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the train station, while nearly 100 passengers waited on the platform for a train to arrive.
The exact moment of the deadly blast that ripped through the railway station, strewing passengers' bodies across the platform and leaving the station's roof blown off, was captured on the CCTV installed at the station's premises. Visuals of a completely destroyed tea stall and passengers' luggage strewn everywhere also surfaced on the internet.
The Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist group, has claimed the responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying the blast was targeted at the troops of the Infantry School who were present at the railway station. About a dozen soldiers and six railway employees were also among those who died in the attack, AFP reported.
"We claim responsibility for the blast at Quetta Railway Station. This morning, a fidayee attack was carried out on a Pakistani army unit at Quetta Railway Station as they were returning via the Jaffer Express after completing a course at the Infantry School. The attack was executed by the BLA’s fidayee unit, Majeed Brigade. Further details will soon be released to the media," Jeeyand Baloch, BLA's spokesperson said.
The outlawed BLA has waged an insurgency seeking independence from Islamabad. Muhammad Baloch, a senior superintendent of police operations, stated that the separatists have frequently attacked soft targets as the country continues to grapple with terrorist attacks amid growing insurgency in the south.
GEO TV reported that the injured are in critical condition, and an investigation has been initiated to determine the exact cause behind the attack.