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Death toll rises to 24 in suicide attack at train station in southwest Pakistan

Pabio November 9, 2024

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Suicide bomber blows himself up at train station in restive southwest Pakistan Saturday, killing at least 26 people, including soldiers and railroad workers, and injuring about 62 others, some seriously, officials said.

The attack occurred as nearly 100 passengers were waiting for a train to travel to the garrison town of Rawalpindi from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, according to Hamza Shafqaat, a senior government administrator.

An injured victim of a train station bomb blast is treated at a hospital in Quetta, southwest Pakistan, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

Asked about a security breach that led to the attack, Shafqaat told reporters that “it is usually very difficult to stop such suicide attacks.”

However, Shahid Nawaz, head of security at Quetta railway station, insisted that there was no breach as the attacker was disguised as a passenger and blew himself up among people at the station.

Television footage showed the platform’s steel roof structure destroyed and a destroyed tea stall. Luggage was scattered everywhere. Most of the victims were transported to a public hospital and some to a military hospital.

Wasim Baig, a spokesman for the health ministry and police, said more than a dozen soldiers and six railway employees were among the dead at the station, where a crossing gate was installed to check if anyone was carrying explosives. However, there are several other entrances to the station without such security.

A separatist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying a suicide bomber targeted troops at the station. The outlawed BLA has long led an insurgency seeking independence from Islamabad.

A senior police operations official, Muhammad Baloch, said separatists frequently attacked soft targets.

“When their men are arrested, they also attack in retaliation. We must all fight this war. We are resilient. Our teams are here and trying to save as many lives as possible.

Police said some of the seriously injured passengers died in hospital, raising the death toll.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the attack in a statement, saying those who orchestrated the attack “will pay a very heavy price”, adding that security forces were determined to eliminate “the menace of terrorism”.

Hospital workers cover the bodies of victims of a train station bomb blast at a morgue in Quetta, southwest Pakistan, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

The Afghan Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack and expressed its condolences to the families of the victims, as did the Russian Embassy in Islamabad.

Saturday’s assault took place a little over a week later a powerful bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded near a vehicle carrying police officers assigned to protect polio workers in the province, killing nine people, including five children who were nearby.

In August, the BLA carried out multiple coordinated attacks on passenger buses, police and security forces across Balochistan, killing more than 50 people, mostly civilians.

Balochistan, rich in oil and minerals, is the largest but also the least populated province of Pakistan. It is a hub for the country’s ethnic groups Baloch minority whose members say they are victims of discrimination and exploitation by the central government. Alongside separatist groups, Islamist militants also operate in the province.

People comfort a man who mourns the death of a family member in a train station bomb blast, outside a hospital in Quetta, southwest Pakistan, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

Investigators collect evidence at the site of a bomb blast at Quetta railway station in southwest Pakistan, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

The BLA primarily targets security forces and foreigners, particularly Chinese nationals who are in Pakistan as part of Beijing’s multi-billion dollar project. Belt and Road Initiativewhich works on major infrastructure projects. The group often demands a halt to all Chinese-funded projects and for workers to leave Pakistan to avoid further attacks.

Last month, the BLA claimed responsibility for a suicide attack targeting a convoy of Chinese nationals outside Karachi airport, killing two people. Beijing has asked Pakistan to ensure the security of its citizens working in Balochistan and other parts of the country.