Dozens killed in militant attack on train in Pakistan's Balochistan
Separatist group claims responsibility as part of its insurgency against the state's efforts to reap the province's minerals.
Dozens were killed and injured in a bombing on a train on 24 May in southwest Pakistan, officials said, as part of an attack claimed by a regional militant group.
The train was traveling through a station in Quetta, the capital and largest city of the Balochistan province, when an explosion so powerful that Pakistan's rail minister reported "three coaches along with the engine derailed from the tracks."
At least 30 people were killed, along with 70 wounded, the local Balochistan Post reported, citing officials. Those wounded included military personnel and family members leaving a nearby military base—likely traveling for the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday.
Associated Press reporters also wrote that the attack was so severe it resulted in "badly damaging several nearby buildings and smashing more than a dozen vehicles parked along the road, according to witnesses and images circulating on social media."
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility of the alleged suicide attack in a statement, and the Associated Press reported that the group said it was targeting the government forces on the train.
Breaking: BLA has claimed responsibility for today’s attack in Quetta. The org says its subunit Majeed Beigade was behind, what it claims, as the “highly organised fidayee attack”.
— The Balochistan Post - English (@TBPEnglish) May 24, 2026
BLA uses the term fidayee for suicide attacks.
The Pakistani government has not corroborated the BLA's claim, but a string of officials have posted public statements condemning terrorism.
The attack took place in Balochistan, the largest province in the country, which is also the least populated and has high levels of poverty.
The group behind decades of a separatist insurgency has already been outlawed (paywall) by Pakistan. BLA members say they are aiming to establish an independent Baloch state.
"Baloch separatists accuse Pakistan's government of exploiting the province's natural gas and abundant mineral resources without benefiting the local population," AFP wrote.
And US president Donald Trump's administration would like to invest in Balochistan for financial opportunities in mining minerals.
The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said the attack "marks a deeply disturbing acceleration in attacks on civilians in the province."
The military has conducted deadly operations, including this February, against the militants in Balochistan.
"Let the enemy listen, there will be no safe haven left for terrorists in Balochistan," the province's chief minister Sarfraz Bugti said on X (translated by Google Translate) this Sunday.
"The terrorists, their facilitators and masterminds will be single-handedly brought to an end, and this war will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated."
Read about how the Jaffer Express, the rail route through Balochistan, keeps running despite hijacks and other violent attacks—at this NY Times feature (free access link) published this month.
