Quetta, Balochistan — May 24, 2026
They were heading home for Eid. Soldiers with a few days of leave. Civilians with luggage and children. Their journey ended before it had barely begun.
On Sunday morning, a suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden vehicle into a moving shuttle train near the Chaman Phatak area of Quetta, triggering a blast that killed at least 24 people and wounded more than 50 others. Several coaches were thrown off the tracks and caught fire. Buildings and structures along the railway line sustained significant damage.
The train had just departed from Quetta's military cantonment. According to officials, many passengers on board were army personnel travelling home ahead of Eid, which was set to begin the following day. Civilians were also among those travelling in the same coaches.
Rescue teams, police, and volunteers reached the site within minutes. Babar Yousafzai, a special assistant in the provincial home department, confirmed that security forces were quickly deployed as authorities worked to establish the full scale of the attack. Emergency was declared in multiple city hospitals. Several of the injured were admitted in critical condition, and the death toll was still being updated as rescue operations continued into the afternoon.
Preliminary findings by police pointed to a suicide blast. Bomb disposal teams cordoned off the site and began forensic examination of the wreckage. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as passengers tried to get out of damaged coaches, with some climbing through broken windows to reach safety.
The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that its intended target was Pakistani security personnel. The BLA is a banned separatist group that has long demanded independence from Islamabad, arguing that Balochistan's natural resources have been exploited without meaningful benefit to the local population.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack. "Such cowardly acts of terrorism will never weaken Pakistan's resolve," he said in an official statement, adding that the perpetrators would be held accountable.
The timing of the attack, just before Eid, added to the grief felt across the country. But it was not an isolated event. In March 2025, the BLA hijacked the Jaffar Express carrying more than 400 passengers through the Bolan region. In November 2024, a suicide bombing at Quetta railway station killed 26 people. Balochistan has seen a steady escalation of militant attacks targeting railways, transport infrastructure, and security forces in recent years.
Investigations are ongoing. The full casualty count is yet to be confirmed.