At least 24 people are killed in a suicide bombing at a Pakistani train station

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a train station in Pakistan’s restive southwest on Saturday, killing at least 24 people, including soldiers and railway workers, and wounding about 50 others, some seriously, officials said.

The attack occurred as nearly 100 passengers waited for a train bound for the garrison city of Rawalpindi from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, said Hamza Shafqaat, a senior government official.

A separatist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibility for the attack.

TV images showed that the steel structure of the roof of the platform had been blown apart and that a tea stall had been destroyed. Luggage was scattered everywhere.

Police said about a dozen soldiers and six railway workers were among the dead at the station, and some of the seriously injured passengers had died in hospital.

The station has a walk-through gate to check if anyone is carrying explosives – but there are several other entrances to the station without such security.

When asked about security, Shafqaat told reporters that “usually it is very difficult to stop such suicide bombings.”

Shahhid Nawaz, who is in charge of security at Quetta train station, said the attacker was disguised as a passenger and blew himself up among the people.

The BLA claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying a suicide bomber had attacked troops at the train station. The banned group has long been waging an insurgency seeking independence from Pakistan.

“If their people are arrested, they also attack in retaliation,” said Muhammad Baloch, a senior superintendent of police operations.

“We all have to fight this war. We are resilient. Our teams are here trying to save as many lives as possible.”

Prime Minister condemns deadly attack

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the bombing in a statement, saying those who orchestrated the attack “will pay a very high price for it”, and that security forces were determined to eradicate “the menace of terrorism”.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry also condemned the bombings and offered condolences to the families of the victims, as did the Russian embassy in the capital Islamabad.

Saturday’s attack came just over a week after a powerful bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded near a vehicle carrying police officers assigned to protect polio workers in the province, killing nine people , including five children who were nearby.

In August, the BLA carried out multiple coordinated attacks on passenger buses, police and security forces across Balochistan, killing more than fifty people, mostly civilians.

Oil and mineral-rich Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest but least populous province. It is a hub for the country’s Baloch ethnic minority, whose members say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government. In addition to separatist groups, Islamic militants are also active in the province.

The BLA mainly targets security forces and foreigners, especially Chinese nationals who are in Pakistan as part of Beijing’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, which is working on major infrastructure projects. The group often demands the halt of all Chinese-funded projects and that workers leave Pakistan to prevent further attacks.

Last month, the BLA claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing targeting a convoy of Chinese nationals outside Karachi airport, killing two. Beijing has asked Pakistan to ensure the safety of its citizens working in Balochistan and other parts of the country.