Pakistan: Deadly blast at railway station in Balochistan

A blast at a railway station in southwestern Pakistan has claimed the lives of at least 24 people, according to reports, in what is believed to be a bomb attack.

The Reuters news agency cited the inspector general of police for Balochistan, Mouzzam Jah Ansari, as saying that the explosion took place at a railway station in Quetta in Balochistan province.

"The target was army personnel from the Infantry School," Ansari said.

"So far 44 injured people have been brought to civil hospital," Dr. Wasim Baig, a hospital spokesman, told Reuters.

Police said the blast took place when passengers were waiting for a train traveling to the garrison city of Rawalpindi, from Quetta in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province. The explosion took place at around 8.45 a.m. (0345 GMT).

Rescue teams, firefighters and rescue teams searched through the abandoned luggage in the presence of security forces.

Militants claim responsibility for the attack

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — a militant group of ethnic Baloch guerillas that is fighting for independence from Pakistan — claimed responsibility for the attack. 

The BLA said a suicide bomber targeted troops present at the railway station.

Police said they are investigating the circumstances of the blast.

"When we reached here, initially it appeared that some explosive had perhaps been hidden or left in the luggage. But now we think it may be a suicide bomber," Muhammad Baloch, a senior local police official, told journalists.

Pakistan has for a long time grappled from insurgency from separatist militants in Balochistan who seek independence from Islamabad.

Even though the Balochistan region sees frequent attacks, the death toll after Saturday's blast was particularly high for the southwestern province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.

kb/bk (AFP, AP, dpa)