QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber blew himself up at a train station in southwest Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 26 people, including soldiers and railway workers, and wounding about 62 others, including 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.

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 all have to 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 threat of terrorism”.

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 attack came just over a week after a powerful bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded near a vehicle carrying police officers tasked with protecting 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 Baloch ethnic minority, whose members say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government. Alongside separatist groups, Islamist militants also operate in the province.

The BLA primarily targets security forces and foreigners, particularly Chinese nationals who are in Pakistan as part of Beijing’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road initiative, which is working on major construction projects. ‘infrastructure. 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.