Quetta, Pakistan – A suicide blast at Quetta Railway Station on Saturday claimed at least 24 lives and injured 46 others, according to Quetta Division Commissioner Hamza Shafqat. The attack occurred as a Jaffar Express train was preparing to depart for Peshawar, leaving rubble scattered across the platform.

The banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, marking the latest in a series of escalating terrorist incidents in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. The blast follows a deadly bombing near a girls’ school and hospital in Mastung district last week that killed eight, including five children.

Commissioner Shafqat stated that train services in the area would be suspended, and he urged the public to donate blood for the injured. An emergency was declared at local hospitals to handle the influx of casualties.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the attack, calling it a “continuation of targeting innocent people.” He vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice, adding that operations to root out terrorism in Balochistan would continue.

Over the past year, Pakistan has seen a spike in violence, with over 1,500 fatalities in terror-related incidents in 2023 alone. Recent attacks in Balochistan have included bombings targeting police, as well as armed attacks on laborers and construction sites.

Security forces have secured the blast site, and a Bomb Disposal Squad is collecting evidence. Authorities are investigating the incident while the Balochistan government has called for intensified operations against terrorist groups in the region.