26 killed as explosion rocks railway station in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD / ISTANBUL (AA) – At least 26 people were killed and many others injured in a bomb explosion at Quetta city railway station in Pakistan’s Balochistan province early Saturday, police said.

So far 26 people have died and 46 others are injured, Muhammad Akram, a local police official, told Anadolu over phone.

Earlier, a local senior police official, Muhammad Baloch, said that it seemed to be a suicide bombing.

He added that the explosion happened at a ticket counter.

Initial reports indicate the blast occurred when the train was about to leave the station for Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Given the usual high foot traffic at the station, authorities fear the number of casualties could rise.

Police and rescue teams quickly arrived at the scene as emergency measures were implemented at Quetta’s Civil Hospital, with additional doctors and support staff to assist victims.

Pakistan has endured 785 terrorist attacks during the first 10 months of 2024, resulting in 951 deaths, reflecting a persistently high level of violence across the country, according to a report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank.