NEW DELHI: An explosive-laden car hit one of the train carriages of a train going to Peshawar from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, resulting in a big blast. At least 24 people were killed on Sunday (May 24), many of them soldiers travelling home to celebrate Bakrid. At least 50 more people have been injured, according to initial reports, which suggested that the toll may rise as many were injured critically.
Pictures circulating on a social media showed a mangled train carriage on its side as people clambered over the wreckage to find survivors. People could be seen carrying blood-soaked victims on stretchers away from a derailed car, while armed security forces stood guard. At least two other bogies of the train also got derailed and upturned in the incident.
No group had claimed responsibility for carrying out the attack so far.
A senior official said the train was carrying Pakistan Army personnel and their family members. The train was going from Quetta to Peshawar in Pakistan’s northwest. The train was passing a signal at Chaman Pattak in Quetta “when an explosive-laden car hit one of the carriages that resulted in a big blast”
Windows were blown out and nearby vehicles were destroyed in the explosion. Another official said most soldiers and officers were travelling home to celebrate the Eid holiday, which is due to start on Tuesday (May 26). Most provinces have declared four days of holidays from May 26 to 29 for the festival.
Following the incident, an emergency was declared in government hospitals across Quetta, with doctors and medical staff summoned to handle the situation. Railway authorities said the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express was stopped at Quetta Railway Station after the blast as a precautionary measure, the report added.
In the past too, there have been attacks on trains and railway station in and around Quetta, leading to heavy casualties among security personnel of Pakistan. Over the years, this has lead to very large contingents of police and Frontier Corps being deployed to ensure safe passage. The answer from the Baloch rebels to these steps has been to carry out suicide attacks.
Incidentally, Balochistan is Pakistan’s poorest province and largest by way or area (landmass) comprising almost 45 per cent of the country’s total area. It lags behind the rest of the country in almost every index, including education, employment and economic development. Medical facilities are almost non existent and despite being the largest producer of natural gas, this gas is provided to homes in Punjab and Sindh provinces. The local Baloch are left to fend for themselves and gather wood or use smuggled oil for cooking as also running their vehicles.
Due to this, several Baloch separatist groups accuse Pakistan’s Federal government of exploiting the province’s natural gas and abundant mineral resources without benefiting the local population. Some days ago, separatists who are fighting for an independent Balochistan, attacked dozens of vehicles in a series of events. This subsequently led to stoppage of loading of minerals by transporters who have been demanding better security atmosphere.
Balochistan has been at the centre of unrest for long with groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), considered the most powerful armed group working for seeking independence from Pakistan.
The incident comes a little over a year after a passenger train carrying 400 people was hijacked. This train too was headed to Peshwar from Quetta. The BLA had claimed responsibility for the hijack. Back then, all 33 terrorists involved in attacking the train were killed by the Pakistani forces, and hundreds of passengers were rescued.
More recently in October 2025, several coaches of Jaffar Express, considered a military train were derailed in the Sindh Province due to a blast, injuring several passengers. Trains are considered one of the cheapest and most reliable means of transport over long distances but the repeated attacks by separatists make them particularly unsafe for Pakistani military personnel.
