Suicide Bombing Near Quetta Railway Track Kills at Least 23

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a railway track in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Sunday, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 70 others, officials said. The force of the explosion overturned two train cars and set them on fire, sending thick black smoke into the air.

Several nearby buildings were damaged and more than a dozen parked vehicles were destroyed, according to witnesses and images shared on social media.

Doctors at local hospitals said they received the wounded, with 20 patients listed in critical condition. Three security officials told The Associated Press that bodies were transported to hospitals following the attack. A medical emergency was declared at hospitals in Quetta, and an investigation was launched, said Shahid Rind, Balochistan provincial government spokesman.

The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility in a statement sent to reporters, saying it had targeted a train carrying security personnel. Quetta is the capital of Balochistan province, where a low-level insurgency has persisted for years. The province has seen repeated attacks on security forces, government installations and civilians.

“We strongly condemn the targeting of innocent civilians and are deeply saddened by the loss of precious human lives. ”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the attack a “cowardly act of terrorism” in a post on X and offered condolences to victims’ families. ” Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari denounced the bombing and said militants and their backers sought to undermine Pakistan’s role in regional peace efforts.

The attack occurred one day after Pakistan said the United States and Iran were close to reaching a memorandum of understanding to end the war in the Middle East that began on Feb. 28.