QUETTA, Pakistan — A devastating suicide car bomb attack struck a moving train in Pakistan’s restive southwestern province of Balochistan on Sunday, May 24, 2026, killing at least 24 people and wounding more than 50 others. The targeted blast caused multiple carriages to derail and ignite, sending shockwaves through the regional capital.

The incident unfolded as a shuttle train was transporting military personnel and their families from Quetta's cantonment area. The passengers were scheduled to connect with the long-distance Jaffar Express to head toward Peshawar ahead of the upcoming Eid holidays.

As the train neared a signal at the Chaman Phatak crossing in a residential sector, an explosives-laden vehicle rammed directly into one of the carriages, triggering a massive explosion.

The sheer force of the detonation derailed the train's engine and three coaches, completely overturning two of them. Thick plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky as the wreckage caught fire, burning out several nearby vehicles and shattering windows across the neighborhood.

Local emergency management and hospital officials have confirmed at least 24 fatalities. Army servicemen and Frontier Corps members are among the dead, though officials noted that civilians living in an adjacent apartment building were also caught in the blast radius and killed.

Over 50 people have been hospitalized, with several reported to be in highly critical condition. Local authorities quickly implemented a state of emergency at all public medical facilities in Quetta, recalling doctors and support staff to manage the influx of victims.

Rescuers, paramilitary forces, and local volunteers spent hours combing through the mangled, overturned metal to pull survivors from the wreckage.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a banned separatist group, claimed responsibility for the targeted assault shortly after the blast, describing it as a fidayee (suicide) operation specifically aimed at Pakistani military personnel.

Insurgent violence has mounted in Balochistan, Pakistan's largest but least populated province. Ethnic Baloch separatist groups have frequently targeted state infrastructure and security forces, alleging that the federal government exploits the region's rich mineral and natural resources while neglecting the local population. Attacks have also increasingly focused on Chinese nationals working on multi-billion-dollar infrastructure ventures under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a statement strongly condemning the attack, offering his condolences to the grieving families. Taking to social media platform X, the Prime Minister stated: "Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan. We remain steadfast in our determination to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations."

Security forces have cordoned off the Chaman Phatak area as a sweeping counter-terrorism investigation gets underway.