\n<\/p>\n
A separatist militant group on Sunday claimed responsibility for a powerful blast that targeted a passenger train in south-western Pakistan, with conflicting death tolls reported after the attack in the restive province of Balochistan.<\/p>\n
A police spokesman told dpa that at least 30 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in the blast in Quetta, the provincial capital.<\/p>\n
The Pakistani newspaper Dawn later cited a preliminary provincial government report as saying at least 14 people were killed and 20 wounded in a suicide attack that hit the train. Dawn reported that three soldiers were among the dead.<\/p>\n
A sub-group of the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which is fighting for the independence of Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the attack.<\/p>\n
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack in a post on social media platform X and offered his condolences to the families of the victims.<\/p>\n
A state of emergency has been declared in all public and private hospitals in the city, a provincial government spokesman said. He said at least three coaches and the engine had derailed after the explosion. Security forces have cordoned off the area and a rescue operation was under way, he said.<\/p>\n
Violence has surged in Pakistan recently. Terrorist attacks often target state security forces as part of the fight against the state.<\/p>\n
Balochistan is considered Pakistan’s poorest province. Separatists have been fighting for independence there since shortly after Pakistan was founded.<\/p>\n
Last year, a train carrying hundreds of security forces and their families was hijacked by the banned BLA. At least two dozen passengers and soldiers were killed in a days-long battle to free the hostages.<\/p>\n
The BLA is the largest of several militant groups fighting for the independence of Balochistan from Pakistan. The group has also been behind violence particularly targeting multi-billion-dollar Chinese infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n