At Least 26 Killed In Rail Station Suicide Bombing In Southwest Pakistan (Photos)

At least 26 were killed and 62 wounded when an explosion occurred Saturday morning at the busy Quetta railway station in southwestern Pakistan.

About 100 people were in the vicinity of the blast that occurred as a train was readying to leave for Peshawar at 8:45 a.m., CNN, the BBC and Al Jazeera reported.

“There was a lot of chaos. People were running back and forth,” a witness told CNN. “People were lying martyred, some without legs and arms and hands.”

The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack in Quetta, which is the capital of Balochistan,

The BLA issued a statement saying a suicide bomber targeted troops who were at the railway station.

The dead and wounded also include passengers, railway employees and security staff, according to local officials.

The death toll rose to at least 26 with another 62 wounded, Balochistan health department spokesperson Wasim Baig told Al Jazeera.

The Balochistan province is along Pakistan’s borders with Iran and Afghanistan, and is among the poorest provinces in Pakistan but has many natural resources.

It also is home to several separatist groups and frequently is targeted for attacks.

Since the start of 2024, many attacks have targeted security forces in the area as militant ethnic force, including the BLA, wage an armed rebellion against Islamabad, journalist Saadullah Akhter told Al Jazeera.

The BLA is the largest of the separatist groups and says the Pakistani government exploits the area’s natural resources, which include gas and minerals.