Militants attacked a cross-country passenger train Tuesday in Pakistan’s restive southwestern Balochistan province, taking many hostages.
Authorities say the Jaffar Express was traveling north from Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, to Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when it came under intense fire, hours after departure.
The train was carrying roughly 450 passengers, when it came under attack while passing through a tunnel.
The Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, quickly claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement to media, the banned separatist militant outfit said it had blown up tracks and taken more than 100 passengers hostage. It later claimed they were holding over 200 hostages.
According to security sources, 104 passengers, including 58 men, 31 women and 15 children, had been rescued, while 17 injured people were shifted to a hospital.
The sources said 16 terrorists had been killed.
A clearance operation involving military helicopters has been going on for hours with frequent exchange of fire reported between Pakistani security and BLA militants.
Emergency situation
"So far, it's no foot on the ground," Imran Hayat, the divisional railway superintendent in Quetta, told VOA, about the inability of railway officials to reach the scene.
"It's a no-signal area. They [attackers] stopped the train at a spot where there is no signal support," the railway official said.
A train carrying security officials to beef up support had departed Quetta, Hayat added.
Despite media reports, Hayat did not confirm the death of the train driver who sustained injuries during the initial attack.
“Mobile and wireless signals are not working and, unfortunately, we are not able to get in touch with the crew,” railway deputy controller Muhammad Sharifullah in Quetta told VOA soon after the attack.
Provincial spokesperson Shahid Rind earlier told media that security forces, a rescue train and ambulances had been dispatched. Located in barren, mountainous terrain, the scene of the attack is hard to reach.
An emergency has been declared at the government hospital in Sibbi to receive the injured.
BLA surges
According to the Global Terrorism Index 2025 released last week, Pakistan experienced a 45% increase in terrorism deaths last year, compared to 2023. That is the largest year-to-year rise in more than a decade. The BLA emerged as one of the top two militant groups driving the increase.
The separatist group has been fighting a deadly insurgency against the Pakistani state, accusing the government of robbing the province of its rich natural resources. The group also opposes Chinese investment in the province.
Both Pakistan and China reject the claims that their joint ventures are depriving ethnic Baloch from economic opportunities and their share in the province's mineral wealth.
The United States and Pakistan have both designated BLA as a terrorist group.
Security sources have said the handlers of Tuesday's attack are based in Afghanistan. Islamabad has blamed several recent attacks on militants present on Afghan soil. Afghan Taliban routinely deny providing sanctuary to anti-Pakistan fighters.
Recent attacks
Since the beginning of the year, the BLA has ramped up attacks on security forces, settlers and workers primarily from the eastern Punjab province.
Earlier this month, a female suicide bomber detonated her explosive devices near a military convoy in Balochistan’s Kalat district, killing at least one security personnel and injuring four others.
Last month, BLA insurgents ambushed a bus transporting a paramilitary force in Kalat and killed 18 of those on board.
Just days later, a roadside bomb blast killed 11 coal miners in the city, while the BLA took credit for attacking a military vehicle securing a supply convoy for a mining company operated by China. Pakistani authorities reported the convoy was passing through Kalat when it came under attack, resulting in injuries to eight security personnel.
VOA Urdu's Murtaza Zehri in Quetta contributed to this report.
