A separatist group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), has claimed responsibility for attacking and hijacking a passenger train in southwestern Pakistan, taking 182 people hostage, including military personnel.
The group has threatened to kill the hostages if security forces do not withdraw from the area.
According to local authorities, police, and railway officials, the train was carrying around 400 passengers when it became stranded in a tunnel, and the train driver sustained severe injuries.
However, officials have not confirmed the exact number of hostages claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army.
The separatists carried out an explosion to destroy the railway tracks before opening fire on the Zafar Express, which was passing through a remote mountainous tunnel. The attack caused the train to come to a halt.
The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon while the train was traveling from Quetta in Balochistan to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
In a statement, the BLA claimed to have killed 20 military personnel and stated that all passengers were safely evacuated from the train. However, the Balochistan government denied the presence of any military officials on board.
As of Tuesday evening, reports indicated that both the train and the hostages remained under BLA control. The separatist group also claimed to be engaged in fierce combat with the Pakistan Air Force.
The BLA warned in its statement, “If military intervention continues, the hostages will be executed.”
Police told the BBC that security personnel and helicopters had been deployed to the attack site for a rescue operation.
A spokesperson for the Balochistan government told Dawn newspaper that intense fighting was ongoing on the train. A senior police official confirmed that the train remained stranded near the tunnel entrance in a mountainous region.
A high-ranking military officer told the BBC that over 100 military personnel were on board the train when it departed from Quetta.
Quetta railway controller Mohammad Kashif informed the BBC that between 400 and 500 passengers had booked tickets for the train, though he could not confirm how many were taken hostage.
A local railway official reported that at least 60 passengers had managed to leave the train and reach a nearby railway station, all of whom were residents of Balochistan province.
According to paramilitary sources cited by Quetta railway officials, women and children had also left the train and were heading toward the town of Sibi. However, their exact number remained unclear.
