An improvised explosive device (IED) blast on a railway track in Balochistan’s Mastung district derailed six coaches of the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express on Sunday, railway officials said.
The blast took place near Quetta’s Spezand Railway Station on Sunday morning, the railways said in a press release. It added that six coaches of the 39-Up Jaffar Express, which runs from Quetta to Peshawar, had been derailed, but all passengers remained safe.
“Railway and security teams are present at the scene, and rescue operations have begun,” the statement said.
The railway administration said passengers would be transported back to Quetta in light of the security situation, and train operations from the city would resume once authorities provide clearance.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, similar attacks have previously been carried out by Baloch armed groups, who say the train also carries Pakistani military personnel travelling home while on leave.
In March this year, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked the Jaffar Express and detained more than 200 Pakistani army personnel in one of its most high-profile operations to date.
The group described them as “prisoners of war” and issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding the release of Baloch political prisoners and people it said had been forcibly disappeared.
On 14 March, the BLA announced it had executed all 214 captives, saying the Pakistani army had failed to meet its demands.