Moment When Suicide Bomber Blew Up Busy Train Station in Pakistan’s Quetta | CCTV Video

Last Updated:November 09, 2024, 18:07 IST

Pakistan is grappling with a surge in strikes by separatist ethnic militants in Balochistan province in the south and Islamist militants in its northwest

During and after the blast views of the railway station in Pakistan's Quetta. (Photo: X/Reuters)

CCTV footage of the exact moment when a massive bomb blast ripped through the busy Quetta Railway Station in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least 24 and injuring over 40 people on Saturday, has emerged.

The surveillance camera video shows scores of people waiting for their trains and carrying luggage at the main railway station of Quetta when a huge explosion takes place and the entire area gets covered in fumes, smoke, and dust.

While a few people can be run for cover, others can be seen trying to hide behind pillars or help the injured.

Balochistan Bomb Blast

At least 24 people were killed and more than 40 injured in a bomb blast at a railway station in Quetta in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, police said.

Pakistan is grappling with a surge in strikes by separatist ethnic militants in Balochistan province in the south and Islamist militants in its northwest. A decades-old insurgency has destabilised Balochistan and created security concerns for projects trying to access the province’s untapped resources.

Inspector general of police for Balochistan, Mouzzam Jah Ansari, said 24 people have died so far from the blast at the railway station, which is usually busy early in the day.

“The target was army personnel from the Infantry School," he said, with many of the injured in critical condition.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.

The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan, a province of about 15 million people that borders Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west. The BLA is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups battling the government, saying it unfairly exploits the province’s rich gas and mineral resources.

“So far 44 injured people have been brought to civil hospital," Dr Wasim Baig, a hospital spokesman, told Reuters.

Senior superintendent of police operations, Muhammad Baloch, said the blast seemed to be a suicide bomb and that investigations were underway for more information.

“The blast took place inside the railway station when the Peshawar-bound express was about to leave for its destination," Baloch said.

In August, at least 73 people were killed in Balochistan province after separatist militants attacked police stations, railway lines and highways.

News world Moment When Suicide Bomber Blew Up Busy Train Station in Pakistan’s Quetta | CCTV Video