Suicide attack on Quetta Shuttle train: 27 military officers killed, 131 injured
Islamabad, May 24: At least 27 military officers were killed and over 131 injured in a suicide attack on a shuttle train near Chaman Gate in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, this morning. The explosion derailed three bogies of the train and overturned two, with one bogie catching fire.
According to The Balochistan Post, three coaches of the shuttle train were carrying Pakistani military personnel from Quetta Cantt to Quetta railway station on the occasion of Bakrid, where it was to connect with the Jaffar Express. According to railway officials, the train was carrying 336 passengers. At least 27 military officers were killed and over 131 were injured in the incident. The condition of some of the injured is reported to be critical. The death toll is expected to rise.
Police, in their preliminary investigation, are treating it as a suicide attack. A viral video of the explosion shows smoke rising from several carriages along the railway track. Rescue workers, police, and firefighters arrived immediately. Pakistan’s Railway Minister, Hanif Abbasi, confirmed the incident. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack.
BLA spokesman Jayand Baloch said the BLA’s Majeed Brigade carried out the attack. Jayand’s statement said that Pakistani army soldiers and officers were traveling in the shuttle train and were targeted. According to federal officials, security has been increased in Quetta and surrounding areas. Surveillance has been increased at railway tracks, railway stations, and sensitive locations. An emergency has been declared in all hospitals in Quetta. Meanwhile, Baloch Republican Guards spokesman Dostin Baloch said in a statement to the media today that fighters planted explosives and blew up a gas pipeline from Sui to Karachi in Shahwali, near the Kashmore region of Sindh, last night. The spokesman said such attacks will continue until Balochistan is liberated.
Previously , the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has targeted railway installations and the Pakistani military. The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack on the Quetta railway station on November 9, 2024. In this attack, the Majid Brigade targeted military personnel trained at the Infantry School in Quetta. Subsequently, on March 11, 2025, the Jaffar Express was hijacked in the Bolan region. In this operation, the Baloch Liberation Army’s Majid Brigade took hundreds of Pakistani soldiers hostage and released them on condition of their release.
