Pakistan, suicide bombing in Quetta, at least 24 killed
The force of the explosion overturned two train cars, destroyed a dozen vehicles and damaged several buildings
from our correspondent Marco Masciaga
NEW DELHI - A suicide bomber blew up an explosives-laden vehicle on Sunday near a railway line as a passenger train passed through the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, killing at least 24 people and wounding more than 70 of whom some 20 are said to be in "critical" condition.
The force of the explosion caused two train cars, plus the engine, to overturn and catch fire. The attack occurred in an area where Pakistani security forces are usually present, severely damaging several nearby buildings and destroying more than a dozen vehicles parked along the road.
The claim and reactions
The attack was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (Bla), a separatist organisation calling for the independence of Balochistan from the central government of Pakistan. The militant group targeted a train carrying security force personnel and their families.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, calling it 'a cowardly act of terrorism' and expressing condolences to the families of the victims. The chief minister of Balochistan Sarfraz Bugti said the militants targeted 'innocent civilians, including women and children' and promised to 'hunt them down'.
Previous ones
The blown-up train is the shuttle that connects the military district of Quetta, where employees of the armed forces live with their families, with the station where the Jaffar Express, the train that connects Quetta with Peshawar, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stops, a journey of over 1,600 kilometres that takes 34 hours.
