Gunmen attack Jaffer express in Balochistan, Driver and nine other killed, Passengers made hostage

Separatist militants killed at least 10 people after hijacking a train carrying hundreds of passengers in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan on Tuesday, according to government and railway officials.

Nine of those killed were security personnel, Imran Hayat, a senior railway official, told CNN Tuesday night, adding that a train driver was also killed in the attack.

It is unclear exactly when the deaths occurred. Earlier Tuesday, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind told CNN that “intense gunfire” had been reported on the train. Tuesday evening, security sources not authorized to speak on the record told CNN that security forces had “surrounded the terrorists” and an exchange of fire had taken place. The security sources added that the militants were using “women and children as shields.”

The train, known as the Jaffer Express, was stopped by the militants as it reached a tunnel on Tuesday afternoon, officials said. The train was on its way from Quetta in Balochistan, Pakistan’s westernmost province, to the northwestern city of Peshawar.

“Armed individuals stopped Jaffer Express inside Tunnel No. 8 (in Bolan),” Muhammad Kashif, Quetta Railways’ controller, told CNN.

The train, which departed from Quetta at 9 a.m. local time, had nine coaches and was carrying approximately 450 passengers, Kashif said.

By Tuesday night, 104 hostages had been freed by security forces, the security sources told CNN. Those released included 58 men, 31 women and 15 children, the security sources said, adding that injured passengers had been taken to hospital and that work to rescue the remaining hostages was still underway.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a militant separatist group, has claimed responsibility for the attack. The BLA had said in an earlier statement seen by CNN that they had taken hostages from the train who would be “executed” if a security operation takes place.

But Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti said Tuesday evening that operations will continue “until the last terrorist is eliminated.” On Tuesday night, the security sources told CNN that 16 militants had been killed and many more had been injured.

The militants have been split into small groups and are surrounded by the security forces, the sources said.

Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind told CNN that access to the train, which was being held in Balochistan’s mountainous region of Sibi, he said, was “challenging.”

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement Tuesday that he “strongly condemns” the attack.

“The terrorists’ targeting of innocent passengers during the peaceful and blessed month of Ramadan is a clear reflection that these terrorists have no connection with the religion of Islam, Pakistan (or) Balochistan,” Sharif said.

Junaid Ahmed, from Quetta, told CNN that his cousins were traveling on the Jaffer Express at the time of the incident.

“When I found out about the train incident, I lost contact with them. I came here (Quetta Railway Station), but officials here are saying that (they) are unable to make any contact too.”

The Balochistan government had directed emergency response efforts, Rind said, with a relief train sent to the scene.

On Friday, in a letter seen by CNN, Balochistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department had issued a threat alert, regarding “a planned attack” by the BLA and asked “all concerned authorities” to “take extraordinary precautions and safety measures to prevent any occurrence.”

An insurgency in Balochistan has been running for decades, but has gained traction in recent years since the province’s deep-water Gwadar port was leased to China, the jewel in the crown of Beijing’s “Belt and Road” infrastructure push in Pakistan.

Militants are angered by what they say is the state’s exploitation of the region’s rich mineral resources, with little of the proceeds filtering down to people in what remains Pakistan’s poorest province. The port, often touted as “the next Dubai,” has become a security nightmare with persistent bombings of vehicles carrying Chinese workers, with many killed.

A statement from the separatist group said it had bombed the track before storming the train in remote Sibi district. It claimed the train was under its control.

Pakistani police told local reporters at least three people, including the train driver, had been injured. Security forces have been sent to the scene, as well as helicopters to try to rescue hostages, police told the BBC.

There were reports of "intense firing" at the train, a Balochistan government spokesman told local newspaper Dawn.

A senior police official said it "remains stuck just before a tunnel surrounded by mountains", AFP news agency reports.

A senior army official confirmed to the BBC that there were more than 100 army personnel travelling from Quetta on the train.

The Baloch Liberation Army has warned of "severe consequences" if an attempt is made to rescue those it is holding.

It has waged a decades-long insurgency to gain independence and has launched numerous deadly attacks, often targeting police stations, railway lines and highways.

The Pakistani authorities - as well as several Western countries, including the UK and US - have designated the BLA as a terrorist organisation.

Map shows location of attack in Pakistan on map with neighbouring Afghanistan and India

Quetta's railway controller Muhammad Kashif told the BBC that 400-450 passengers had been booked on the train.

Officials have not confirmed how many they think have been taken hostage.

A local railway official in Quetta told the BBC that a group of 80 passengers - 11 children, 26 women and 43 men - had disembarked the train and reached the nearest railway station, Panir.

The group had boarded a cargo train to Mach railway station, from where a bus was set to take them back to Quetta.

The official said the group was made up of locals from the province of Balochistan.

One man told the BBC his wife and children were in the group, but that his brother-in-law was still being held on the train.

He described an agonising wait to discover if his family was safe, and said he had tried to drive to the area but that all roads he had tried to use were closed.

Railway officials in Quetta, quoting paramilitary sources, told the BBC earlier that women and children had disembarked from the train and were walking towards the city of Sibi. They did not have an exact number.

Meanwhile, families of passengers were trying to get information from the counter at Quetta railway station.

The son of one passenger, Muhammad Ashraf, who left Quetta for Lahore on Tuesday morning, told BBC Urdu he had not been able to contact his father.

Another relative said he was "frantic with worry" about his cousin and her small child, who were travelling from Quetta to Multan to pick up a family member.

"No one is telling me what's happening or if they're safe," Imran Khan told Reuters news agency.

Officials say they are yet to communicate with anyone on the train.

The area has no internet and mobile network coverage, officials told the BBC.

Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province and the richest in terms of natural resources, but it is the least developed.

The assault occurred near Ab-e-Gum area of Mach Town in Balochistan's Kachhi,  where around six armed men opened fire on the train, spreading panic among passengers. According to initial reports, multiple travellers were wounded in the attack.

Several passengers were injured when gunmen attacked a train in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan on Tuesday, prompting the provincial government to direct authorities to take "emergency measures".

"There are reports of intense firing at Jaffar Express, which was heading from Quetta to Peshawar, between Pehro Kunri and Gadalar,” Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed that it seized control of the train by derailing it, killed six security personnel and took over 100 passengers, including active duty personnel, into custody. However, there was no independent confirmation of their claim

In a statement, the BLA warned that if Pakistan military launches an operation, "all hostages will be executed". The group is banned in Pakistan, the UK and the US.

Official data on casualties was not available, but security sources said that the train driver and several passengers were injured in the gunfire.

Rescue teams and security forces have reached the scene, and an operation is under way to track down the assailants. Emergency was declared in the local hospitals.

Railway officials confirmed that the train's driver succumbed to serious injuries, and an emergency relief train has been dispatched to the area.

Meanwhile, Controller Railways Muhammad Kashif said the train, comprising nine coaches, had around 500 passengers on board.“The train was stopped by armed men in Tunnel No 8,” the controller said.

There are 17 tunnels in this area on the railway line and due to the difficult terrain, the speed of the train is often slow.The Balochistan government directed local authorities to take “emergency measures”.

A provincial government statement said an emergency was imposed at Sibi hospital and ambulances and security forces were on their way to the site.

In the past, the railway tracks in this area have been attacked by Baloch militants by using rockets or remote-controlled bombs and the BLA claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.

In October last year, Pakistan Railways announced the restoration of train services between Quetta and Peshawar after a suspension of more than a month and a half.

Balochistan has witnessed an uptick in terrorist attacks over the past year. In November 2024, 26 people were killed and 62 injured after a suicide blast ripped through a Quetta railway station.

Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups frequently carry out attacks targeting security personnel, government projects and the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects in the oil- and mineral-rich province.

Rescue teams and security forces have reached the scene, and an operation is underway to track down the assailants.

Railway officials confirmed that the train’s driver sustained serious injuries, and an emergency relief train has been dispatched to assist.

Following the attack, authorities halted Karachi-bound Bolan Mail at Sibi, along with the Peshawar-Quetta Jaffer Express, as a precautionary measure. The Sibi hospital has declared an emergency, anticipating further casualties.

Reports of firing at a Peshawar-bound train emerged in Balochistan on Tuesday, following which the provincial government directed local authorities to take “emergency measures”.

“There are reports of intense firing at a Jaffar Express [train], which was heading from Quetta to Peshawar, between Pehro Kunri and Gadalar,” Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Controller Railways Muhammad Kashif said that the train, comprising nine coaches, had around 500 passengers on board.

“The train was stopped by armed men in Tunnel No 8. Efforts are being made to contact the passengers and staff,” the controller said.

According to the government’s statement, an emergency has been imposed at the Sibi hospital, while ambulances and security forces were on their way to the site of the incident.

However, Rind added, the officials were facing difficulties in reaching the site due to the rocky terrain.

“The railway department has sent more trains to the site to provide rescue,” the statement further said.