At least 25 people were killed when a blast ripped through a railway station in the country’s southwest early Saturday, authorities said. The explosive blast happened at Quetta railway station in southwestern Pakistan just as a popular train was about to leave for Peshawar. More than 50 other people were injured in what officials called a suicide attack.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a militant group, claimed responsibility for the blast. The police said that the bomber used 6 to 8 kilograms of explosives. Both civilians and military personnel are reported casualties by the senior police officer Muhammad Baloch. Chaos and destruction took place when crowds were filling the platform during the blast.
Terrifying footage after the explosion began coming out on social media. Videos are showing bodies strewn all over the platform and people writhing on the ground, crying for help. Muhammad Sohail, a witness who reached the station just after the explosion, reminisced about a completely ruined station and desperation:
“People were screaming for help and everything was in shambles.”.
Abdul Jabbar, who was injured by the blast, recalled that he had just bought his ticket when it happened.
“It was like judgment day,” he said, visibly shaken.
Balochistan authorities speak on blast at Quetta Railway Station
In a statement, the BLA said that the attack targeted a unit of the Pakistan military returning to Quetta after attending a training course. Chief minister Balochistan condemned the blast:
“This is very deplorable. Those responsible would be brought to justice.” These are people worse than animals, said he and promised swift action against them.
But, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly, said the terrorists had been condemned and termed “enemies of humanity”.
This bombing is part of the attack on Balochistan, a resource-rich province dealing with historical issues over independence and control. A region bordering Iran and Afghanistan has witnessed growing separatist violence in the recent past. While Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest and resource-rich province, Balochistan remains one of the country’s least developed, which fuels the tensions going hot at times like this.
Also, see: IND vs SA: India begin T20I series with a massive win