At least 27 people have been injured after a powerful explosion derailed a cargo train in southwest Pakistan on Sunday, according to officials and local media.
The blast took place on a railway track in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, and reportedly targeted a train heading towards the city’s cantonment area, local broadcaster 24 News said.
Witnesses also reported hearing heavy gunfire in the aftermath of the explosion.
A spokesperson for Civil Hospital Quetta said the injured were taken to the facility, where emergency measures were immediately put in place.
Babar Yousafzai, a special assistant in the provincial home department, said security forces and rescue teams were quickly deployed to the scene as authorities worked to determine the nature of the blast.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Balochistan, a resource-rich region and a key corridor in the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor project, has long faced a separatist insurgency, with terror groups seeking “liberation” for the province.
