Islamabad, Sept 25: As many as 12 people, including women and children, were injured after the Jaffar Express passenger train heading to Quetta was targeted in a bomb blast in the Spizend area of Mastung in Pakistan’s Balochistan, local media reported on Wednesday.Six bogies of the train, traveling from Peshawar to Quetta, derailed after the blast and one overturned, causing injuries to passengers, according to railway officials, Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn reported.
It was the second blast in the same area within 10 hours. An earlier explosion took place on Tuesday morning near the main track connecting Balochistan to other parts of Pakistan, just as the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express was preparing to leave Quetta Railway Station. The train was stopped temporarily but later allowed to operate after security clearance, as the track was not damaged.
Police officials said an explosive device planted on the track was detonated as the train heading to Quetta passed through the Spizend area.
Following the blast, security forces and police reached the site and took the injured to nearby health facilities. Railway officials stated the train was carrying 270 passengers at the time. The damaged track will be repaired following security clearance on Wednesday, during which train operations will remain disrupted.
Earlier this year, the Jaffar Express traveling from Quetta to Peshawar was hijacked by the Baloch Liberation Army’s (BLA) Majeed Brigade, with over 400 people taken hostage.
The train was forced to halt on March 11 after the track was blown up in the Dhabar area of Bolan Pass, Balochistan. Security forces and railway authorities confirmed the attack occurred near Tunnel No. 8 of Bolan Pass. The standoff ended after more than 24 hours, with the BLA claiming to have killed at least 20 abducted security personnel after verifying their IDs.
