Pakistan News: 24 dead, over 40 injured in Quetta Railway Station blast in Balochistan

Pakistan News: At least 24 people were killed, and over 40  were wounded after a violent explosion occurred near the Quetta Railway Station in Balochistan, a southwestern province of the country, stated reports.

Initially the death toll was reported to be 17, but was expected to go higher. "The death toll has reached 17. It might possibly go higher," news wire AFP quoted Inspector General Moazzam Jah Ansari as saying. The wounded had been transported to a local hospital.

The explosion happened around 8:45 am, when the train was ready to depart from the platform for Peshawar, reports Pakistan's Dawn News. Police and rescue teams are currently at the scene. 

“The blast took place inside the railway station when the Peshawar-bound express was about to leave for its destination,” senior superintendent of police operations, Muhammad Baloch told Reuters. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the blast.

Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind issued a statement mentioning that the Bomb Disposal Squad had collected evidence from the site, and the nature of the blast was being investigated.

While the nature of the blast has not yet been ascertained, SSP Baloch suspects it could be a ‘suicide blast’. He further said that at least 100 people were present at the site, stated Dawn News' report.

Pakistan: Past attacks in Balochistan 

Balochistan, Pakistan's largest and most impoverished province, is rich in natural resources and is also home to separatist militant groups. One of the militant groups, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), regularly claims responsibility for deadly attacks targeting security forces or Pakistanis from other provinces, particularly Punjabis, reported AFP.

In August, the BLA claimed responsibility for a series of coordinated assaults by dozens of militants, resulting in at least 39 fatalities, one of the highest death tolls the region has seen in recent years.

In a separate attack the same month, gunmen had killed at least nine people, including four police officers and five passersby, in Qalat district also in Balochistan, authorities said, AFP reported.