At least 12 people, including women and children, were injured in a bombing attack on the Quetta-bound Jaffar Express in Pakistan’s Balochistan province — the latest in a string of attacks on the train since March. Officials said the blast struck the passenger train as it passed through the Spizend area of Mastung district, causing six carriages to derail and one to overturn on Tuesday. Around 270 people were on board. Security forces rushed to the site and evacuated the injured to a nearby hospital, PTI reported.
It was the second explosion in the area within 10 hours. Earlier that morning, an IED went off near the main track linking Balochistan to the rest of the country just as the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express was preparing to leave Quetta station. That train was cleared to continue because the rails were undamaged.
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The Jaffar Express, which runs between Quetta and Peshawar, has repeatedly been targeted by separatist groups. On August 10, an IED derailed six coaches of the Peshawar-bound train, injuring four passengers. On August 7, a bomb near Sibi station exploded moments after the train passed; and on August 4 gunmen opened fire on its pilot engine near Kolpur, an attack later claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army. Earlier incidents this year include a remotely controlled blast in June that derailed four carriages in Jacobabad and a March hijacking in Bolan that killed 21 passengers and four security personnel before security forces killed 33 suspected militants in a follow-up operation. Rail officials said repairs to the damaged section of track would begin Wednesday under security clearance, with services temporarily suspended.