Pakistan blast: Quetta train station in Balochistan kills 25 people, including 14 Army soldiers

Pakistan blast: The separatist organization Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the Quetta train station explosion, which occurred at approximately 8:45 a.m. (local time).

On Saturday, November 9, 25 persons, including 14 Army personnel, were killed in an explosion at a train station in Quetta, Balochistan province, which was claimed by Pakistani separatists. In Quetta, the provincial capital, the explosion occurred while people were waiting on a platform at the main railway station.
Muhammad Baloch, a senior local police official, informed news agency AFP that "fourteen army personnel are among the 25 confirmed dead," adding to the 22 that the local government had previously reported.

According to news agency Reuters, a train was about to leave the platform toward Peshawar at the moment of the explosion.

The incident "seems to be a suicide blast," but it would be too soon to say for sure, according to Quetta Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) operations Mohammad Baloch, who also stated that an investigation was being conducted to determine the type of explosion.

SSP Baloch told reporters that "about 100 people" were at the location, according to video he saw, which Dawn News reported.

According to senior police official Mohammad Baloch, the device went off while people were waiting for a train from Quetta to the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

Police and security personnel have arrived at the scene of the incident, according to a statement released by Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind.

According to Shahid Rind, a report on the occurrence had been requested, and the Bomb Disposal Squad was gathering evidence from the scene to determine the nature of the explosion.

Given that several of the injured passengers were listed in serious condition, Shahid Rind predicted that the attack's death toll will certainly increase.
An "emergency" has been declared in the hospitals there, the government official said, adding that the "injured were being provided with medical aid," according to Dawn News.

One of the primary separatist organizations in the region, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibility for the train station explosion, which occurred at approximately 8:45 a.m. (03:45 GMT).

The BLA announced in a statement that the attack "was carried out on a Pakistani army unit at Quetta railway station... after completing a course at the Infantry School."

According to railway officials quoted by the official news agency, the Associated Press of Pakistan, the explosion occurred close to the ticket booth just as two trains were about to leave.

Separatist insurgents reside in resource-rich Balochistan, the largest and poorest province in Pakistan.
In the past, militants have targeted foreign-financed energy projects, particularly those from China, and accused outsiders of taking advantage of the area while keeping locals out of the rewards.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of the militant organizations, regularly makes allegations of lethal assaults on Pakistanis or security personnel from other regions, particularly Punjabis.

The BLA took credit for coordinated operations in August that resulted in the deaths of at least 39 individuals, one of the greatest numbers to ever strike the area.