QUETTA: Dozens of people were killed and several others injured on Sunday after a powerful explosion ripped through a passenger shuttle train near Chaman Phatak in Quetta, triggering derailment, fire and widespread destruction.

According to initial reports from railway authorities, the shuttle train was travelling from Quetta Cantonment to the city railway station when an explosive device detonated shortly after 8am.

Pakistan Railways confirmed that rescue teams, including relief trains and emergency response units, were immediately dispatched to the scene as large-scale rescue operations began.

The blast caused several coaches to derail and overturn, while the impact also sparked a fire that spread to nearby vehicles. Fire brigade teams later brought the blaze under control after intense efforts, although thick smoke continued to rise from the wreckage for hours.

Security forces, including the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and bomb disposal squad, cordoned off the area and launched an investigation into the incident.

Eyewitness accounts and footage from the scene showed severely damaged train coaches, burnt-out vehicles, and rescuers pulling injured passengers from the wreckage amid chaos and panic.

Ambulances transported the injured to nearby hospitals as emergency services struggled to manage the scale of casualties.

Officials said some reports suggested that security personnel and their families may have been among the passengers, although this has not yet been officially confirmed.

Authorities have not released a final casualty figure as rescue operations continue and identification of victims is underway.

Early assessments suggest the explosion may have been caused by an improvised explosive device, indicating a possible targeted attack, though investigations are ongoing.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti strongly condemned the incident, calling it a terrorist attack and blaming “Fitna al Hindustan” for targeting civilians.

Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi also condemned the attack, describing it as a cowardly act of terrorism and assuring that railway operations would continue despite the tragedy.

Rescue and search operations are still underway as authorities work to determine the full scale of casualties and the circumstances surrounding one of the most serious attacks on the region’s railway network in recent years.