Pakistan: More than 30 people killed after suicide bomber targets train carrying military personnel

More than 30 people have died after a suicide bomber targeted a train carrying military personnel and their families in Pakistan on Sunday, officials said in an update on Monday.

The shuttle service was travelling through the city of Quetta when a vehicle packed with explosives hit one of the carriages in a residential area, with people living nearby among those killed.

Two of the train carriages overturned and caught fire due to the force of the blast, sending black smoke into the air, according to footage posted online.

The death toll has risen to more than 30, according to local officials.

On Sunday it was reported more than 70 were injured in the explosion in the southwestern province of Balochistan.

Doctors at local hospitals said 20 people were in a critical condition.

The incident took place in an area where security forces are usually stationed.

Several buildings were damaged along with more than a dozen vehicles parked along the road.

The train was carrying passengers from Quetta's cantonment area to connect with ‌the Jaffar Express long-distance train when the blast happened.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the incident, calling it a "cowardly act of terrorism" in a post on X and offering condolences to the families of the victims.

Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan provincial government, said they "strongly condemn the targeting of innocent civilians and are deeply saddened by the loss of precious human lives. Terrorist elements deserve no leniency".

A medical emergency was declared at hospitals in the city following the incident, and an investigation has been opened, he said.

Quetta is the capital of insurgency-hit Balochistan province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan.

The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, (BLA), which demands independence from Pakistan's central government, has claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack in a statement sent to reporters.

The militant group said it targeted a train carrying security personnel, the Associated Press said.

It is one of the separatist groups in the oil and mineral-rich region, where insurgents have often targeted security forces, government installations and civilians as well as elsewhere in the country.

The BLA has previously claimed it was behind similar attacks.

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Authorities in Pakistan have claimed the insurgency has been suppressed, but violence in Baluchistan has persisted.

At least 26 people, including soldiers, were killed in November 2024 when a suicide bomber attacked a train station there.

(c) Sky News 2026: Pakistan: More than 30 people killed after suicide bomber targets train carrying military p