QUETTA: At least five people sustained injuries after an explosion targeted Rawalpindi-bound Jaffer Express in the Mashkaf area of Balochistan’s Bolan district on Tuesday, a senior official of Pakistan Railways said.
According to details, the blast occurred when Rawalpindi-bound Jaffer Express was passing by the area. The train was coming from Quetta.
The blast derailed the train from the track, resulting in injuries to at least five persons who were moved to a nearby hospital. Getting information about the blast, Pakistan Rangers and other rescue teams reached the spot for relief activities.
A Pakistan Railway spokesperson confirmed that the locomotive and at least four coaches were derailed. The spokesperson, in a statement, said that the explosion occurred on the Quetta-Sibbi section of the railway track.
Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qaddos Bizenjo strongly condemned the blast and directed authorities to provide immediate relief to the persons injured in the incident. “Targeting a passenger train is a cowardly and highly reprehensible act,” the chief minister said.
He said those involved in the incident will not be spared, adding that security agencies were active and working round the clock for the eradication of terrorism from the province. “All resources are being utilised to maintain peace in Balochistan,” Bizenjo added.
On Nov 2 last year, at least 13 people were injured, including four critically, in a blast in Balochistan’s Kharan district, Station House Officer (SHO) Mohammad Qasim had said. The explosion had occurred shortly after a vehicle of security forces passed through the area.
