Islamabad (People’s Daily) - Sources from the Pakistan Balochistan provincial government told the People's Daily that at least 35 people have been killed and 40 others injured in an explosion targeting a train transporting military personnel in Southwest Pakistan’s Balochistan Province on Sunday morning.

(Photos: People's Daily)

Pakistan railway authorities said the shuttle train was heading from the Quetta Cantonment to the railway station when it was targeted near Chaman Phatak shortly after 8 am. Quetta is the capital of the province. The shuttle service had primarily been transporting service personnel and their families who had been returning home for Eid.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a suicide bombing. Pakistani officials have not yet confirmed this.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the "heinous bomb explosion." "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 posted on X.

The premier expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured. "The entire nation stands in solidarity with the people of Balochistan in this hour of grief," he added.