Vehicle-borne explosive attack hits Jaffar Express in Quetta, kills at least 24
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- A vehicle-borne explosive attack struck the Jaffar Express near Quetta, killing at least twenty-four people and injuring more than seventy.
- The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility, saying it targeted military personnel on board the train.
A vehicle packed with explosives detonated near the Jaffar Express in Quetta, Pakistan, on Sunday morning, killing at least twenty-four people and injuring more than seventy others, according to local authorities.
The blast hit as the passenger train passed a railway track, causing two carriages to derail and catch fire. Rescue teams rushed to the scene as emergency operations continued amid the wreckage.
Many of those on board were military personnel and their families travelling to Peshawar to celebrate Eid, which begins on Tuesday. Authorities declared a state of emergency at hospitals in Quetta, ordering medical staff to remain on duty as the wounded were brought in.
Security forces sealed off the area and launched an investigation into the attack.
The Balochistan Liberation Army’s elite Majeed Brigade claimed responsibility, saying it carried out a “fidayee operation” targeting what it described as Pakistani military personnel travelling from Quetta Cantonment.
The group said it “accepts full responsibility” for the attack.
The Majeed Brigade has previously carried out major attacks in Balochistan, including a railway bombing in November 2024 that killed dozens.
This is the second major attack on the Jaffar Express in just over a year.
In March 2025, BLA fighters hijacked the same train in a 30-hour siege involving more than 350 passengers. Pakistani authorities said dozens were killed during the operation that ended after a military response.
Quetta is the capital of Balochistan, a resource-rich province that has faced a decades-long separatist insurgency.
The Balochistan Liberation Army says its campaign targets what it describes as state control over the region’s resources.
