At least 18 people were injured when the bomb hit the main track, resulting in the derailment of a Peshawar-bound train in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army, The News International reported.
Railway authorities told the media that the injured had been shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Sibi. The Jaffer Express train was travelling from Machh to Sibi when the blast occurred, local authorities said. Earlier, Dawn reported 15 people injured and among them 4 were women.
According to local officials, the explosion led to the derailment of eight coaches of the train and also damaged a portion of the main railway track linking Quetta with the rest of the country was carried out by a remote-controlled device.
Confirming the news, Railway officials said that the train departed from the Mach, in the Bolan district area of Balochistan, some 110km northeast of the provincial capital, when the explosion ripped through the coaches, as per Dawn.
Commenting on the incident, Deputy Commissioner Samiullah Agha said, “Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express left for its destination from Mach station and when it reached between Peshi and Paneer stations, a powerful blast took place at the railway line resulting in the derailment of eight passenger coaches and locomotive.” He added that 15 passengers, including four women, were shifted to Civil Hospital, Sibi.
The Levies personnel and police rushed to the site and cordoned off the area following the attack. “The blast took place under the fifth coach of the train,” Bolan SSP Mehmood Khan Notezai told Dawn over the phone. He added that an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was used in the blast, which was carried out with a remote control, reported Dawn.
Medical Superintendent, Dr Rafiq Mastoi said the hospital received 15 injured. Two of them were later shifted to CMH, Sibi, as their condition was serious, he added.
Officials of Pakistan Railways, including DS Quetta, also visited the site after receiving information about the attack. A relief team from the railways was dispatched to the site to rescue other families and help them reach their destination, according to Dawn.