QUETTA: At least 20 people were injured Sunday when an explosion occurred near a railway track close to Chaman Phatak in Quetta, rescue officials said.
The blast partially damaged a train and also struck 10 parked vehicles in the area, police said. The force of the explosion shattered windows and glass panels of nearby buildings.
Following the incident, an emergency was declared at government hospitals across Quetta, and all relevant institutions were placed on high alert, according to Babar Yousafzai, spokesperson for the home minister. He urged the public to avoid gathering near the blast site to ensure safety and allow emergency teams to work without obstruction.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the incident, which he said "resulted in the tragic loss of innocent lives and left many others injured."
Railway authorities said the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express was stopped at Quetta Railway Station as a precautionary measure.
The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted a train carrying security personnel.
Quetta is the capital of insurgency-hit Balochistan province, an oil- and mineral-rich region that has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency. Insurgents have frequently targeted security forces, government installations and civilians in the province and elsewhere in the country.
“We strongly condemn the targeting of innocent civilians and are deeply saddened by the loss of precious human lives. Terrorist elements deserve no leniency,” said Shahid Rind, spokesman for the Balochistan provincial government.
Rind said a medical emergency was declared at hospitals in Quetta and an investigation has been launched.
