Blast derails Jaffar Express in Pakistan’s Balochistan, injures 12 passengers

An explosion struck a railway track in Pakistan’s restive southwestern Balochistan province on Tuesday, injuring at least a dozen passengers on the Jaffar Express, officials said.

The train was traveling from Peshawar to Quetta when an improvised explosive device went off in the Dasht area of Mastung district. The blast derailed four bogies and left several passengers, including women and children, wounded.

Rescue teams and security forces quickly reached the site to evacuate victims. The injured were shifted to hospitals in Quetta, where an emergency was declared. Health officials said some passengers sustained minor injuries, while others remain in serious condition and are receiving critical care.

Images shared online showed rescue workers and law enforcement clearing wreckage and helping passengers.

Railway authorities said the blast caused severe damage to the track, forcing a suspension of train services in the area. No group has claimed responsibility.

Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi ordered an inquiry into the incident and directed officials to submit a report within 24 hours.

The Jaffar Express has come under attack before. In March, armed militants hijacked the train in the Bolan Pass while it was traveling from Quetta to Peshawar with more than 400 passengers on board. At least 21 passengers were killed before security forces launched a clearance operation.

The attackers detonated explosives in tunnels and on the tracks, forcing the train to a halt in a mountainous part of Sibi district. According to the military’s media wing, no passengers were harmed during the subsequent rescue operation.