At least 24 people were killed and more than 50 others sustained injuries in a powerful suicide blast at Quetta Railway Station in Pakistan on Saturday. According to local authorities, the victims were mostly civilians but also included “some law enforcement personnel”.
The injured are being treated at various hospitals in the area where around a dozen are believed to have been in critical condition, according to reports.
Pakistan-based Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed the responsibility of the suicide blast. Reacting to the tragic incident, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti strongly condemned the bombing, calling it a cowardly act targeting innocent lives.
“The Chief Minister has immediately contacted top administrative authorities, ordering a thorough investigation,” his office stated.
“Such acts of terrorism are a tragic continuation of cowardly violence against our people.” Bugti has directed local authorities to ensure that all injured receive the best possible medical care.
Emergency services were mobilized quickly, and local hospitals were put on emergency to handle the sudden influx of casualties.
This devastating blast follows another attack just a week earlier, where a bomb explosion near a girl’s school and a hospital in Balochistan’s Mastung district killed eight people, including children.