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At least 23 people were killed and roughly 70 others injured in a brazen suicide attack Sunday morning when a bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a railway line as a passenger train passed through Quetta, the capital of southwestern Balochistan province, according to The Associated Press.
The explosion overturned two train cars and ignited fires, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the sky. Nearby buildings sustained heavy damage, and more than a dozen parked vehicles were caught in the blast, AP reported. Witnesses described the detonation as sending shockwaves through the area.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a militant separatist group seeking the province’s secession from Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the assault, stating it targeted a train carrying security personnel. The Times of India reported that the train had been transporting army personnel and their families from Quetta to Peshawar for the Eid holidays.
Bystanders inspect an overturned train coach engulfed in smoke after a reported terrorist bombing derailed multiple cars in Quetta, Pakistan, on May 24, 2026. (Arshad Butt/AP Photo)
Several victims were rushed to local hospitals, with about 20 of the wounded reported to be in critical condition, according to doctors cited by AP.
A volunteer assists a survivor scaling the side of a severely damaged, overturned train car after a reported militant attack struck a rail line in Quetta, Pakistan, on May 24, 2026. (Arshad Butt/AP Photo)
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif forcefully condemned the attack as a “cowardly act of terrorism,” pledging that those responsible would be held accountable.
“I strongly condemn the heinous bomb explosion near Chaman Phatak, Quetta, which has resulted in the tragic loss of innocent lives and left many others injured. Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan. We remain steadfast in our determination to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said.
“I express my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and pray for the swift recovery of the injured. The entire nation stands in solidarity with the people of Balochistan in this hour of grief.”
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti alleged that the BLA is backed by Indian-sponsored proxies working to destabilize Pakistan. The two countries have long been locked in a bitter territorial dispute over Kashmir, though India has consistently denied such accusations.
“The terrorists of Fitna Al-Hindustan are proving their savagery by targeting innocent civilians, women, and children,” Bugti said, describing the group as “evil originating from India.”
Bystanders attend to victims on a railway track following reports of a deadly suicide vehicle bombing targeting a passenger train in Quetta, Pakistan, on May 24, 2026. (Arshad Butt/AP Photo)
“Those who shed the blood of innocent people deserve no leniency. Let the enemy hear this: there will be no safe haven left for terrorists in Balochistan. We will hunt down the terrorists, their facilitators, and their masterminds one by one and bring them to justice, and this war will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated,” Bugti declared.
The BLA has carried out a growing number of large-scale suicide operations targeting Pakistani security forces and infrastructure in Quetta, according to The Times of India. In 2024, at least 26 people, including soldiers, were killed in a suicide bombing at a train station in Balochistan.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
