Quetta, Pakistan — At least 25 people were killed and dozens injured in a bomb blast Saturday morning at Quetta’s main railway station in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The explosion occurred as a popular morning train prepared to depart for Peshawar.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a militant separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack, which authorities are treating as a suicide bombing. The attack marks the latest in a wave of violence in Balochistan, where separatists have long pushed for independence and greater control over the province’s resources.
City officials in Quetta confirmed that the blast killed 25 people, including the suicide bomber, and injured around 50 others. Senior police official Muhammad Baloch told the BBC that the bomber was believed to have carried 6-8 kilograms of explosives, and both civilians and military personnel were among the dead and wounded.
Witnesses described a scene of horror and devastation. Abdul Jabbar, who was injured and taken to the Civil Hospital, said, “I can’t describe the horror I faced today; it was like judgment day.” Another traveler, Muhammad Sohail, arrived at the station shortly after the explosion. “Everything was destroyed, and people were lying on the ground screaming for help,” he said.
The BLA issued a statement claiming the target was a Pakistan military unit returning to the region after completing a training program. In response, Balochistan’s chief minister denounced the attack, calling the perpetrators “worse than animals” and promising to “bring them to justice.” Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly, condemned the bombing, labeling the attackers “enemies of humanity.”
Baluchistan, Pakistan’s largest and least developed province, is rich in natural resources but has long been a flashpoint for separatist violence. The region shares borders with Iran and Afghanistan and has a strategic coastline along the Arabian Sea, making it one of Pakistan’s most geopolitically sensitive areas. Recent months have seen an uptick in militant activity in the province, raising concerns over security in the volatile region.