(MENAFN- Live Mint) A video emerged on Saturday, showing the exact moment when a blast occurred at a railway station in Quetta in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. The explosion ripped through the railway station as passengers gathered on the platform before the departure of the Jaffar Express, scheduled to depart for Peshawar at 9:00 am.
"The blast took place inside the railway station when the Peshawar-bound express was about to leave for its destination," a Police officer was quoted by Geo Tv as saying.
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A video, widely circulated on social media and shared by Sputnik India, showed the explosion at the busy railway station in Pakistan on Saturday morning, triggering panic among people.
Suicide attack, 24 killed
Quetta Division Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat said it was a suicide attack. He said the suicide bomber entered the station with luggage.
As many as 24 people were killed and 46 people sustained injuries in the blast. Shafqaat also confirmed that law enforcement agencies's (LEAs) personnel were among those martyred in the attack.
Meanwhile, news agency AFP cited Muhammad Baloch, a senior local police official, as saying that, "Fourteen army personnel are among the 25 confirmed dead."
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According to Pakistan's Geo TV, preliminary reports indicated that the explosion took place at the railway station's booking office, which usually witnesses a significant number of people.
Who's responsible for the attack and why?
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), an ethnic Baloch separatist group designated as a terrorist organisation, reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.
The BLA alleged that the federal government exploits Balochistan's resources while neglecting the province's development.
However, the federal government dismissed the allegations and claimed that foreign powers are manipulating disgruntled elements to perpetrate sabotage, PTI reported.
The alleged suicide bombing came a week after a blast near a girl's school and a hospital in Balochistan's Mastung district killed eight people, including five children.
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