A powerful explosion struck the Jaffar Express near the Sultankot area, close to the Sindh–Balochistan border, on Tuesday evening, derailing multiple coaches of the Quetta-bound passenger train, CNN-News18 reported.
According to railway officials, six bogies of the Jaffar Express, which was travelling from Peshawar to Quetta, derailed after the blast, with one coach overturning and several passengers sustaining injuries.
“Six bogies of the Jaffar Express derailed after the blast and one of them overturned,” a senior Pakistan Railways official told Dawn, adding that five passengers were injured in the incident.
Security forces and local police rushed to the site immediately after the explosion and transferred the injured to a nearby health facility. Officials confirmed that 270 passengers were aboard the Jaffar Express at the time of the blast. Rail services on the damaged section of the track will remain suspended until repairs are completed following a security clearance.
The explosion occurred near Somarwah, close to Sultan Kot in Shikarpur district of Sindh. The injured passengers were immediately shifted to a nearby hospital as rescue operations continued at the site.
Second Blast in 10 Hours Near Sindh–Balochistan Border
The latest attack marked the second explosion within 10 hours in the same area, underscoring a surge in militant strikes targeting Pakistan’s railway infrastructure. Earlier on Tuesday morning, another blast occurred near the main track connecting Balochistan to the rest of the country, just as the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express was preparing to depart from Quetta Railway Station.
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While the morning explosion briefly halted train services, they resumed soon after a security clearance as the track had not been damaged. However, the evening explosion — believed to have been caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) planted on the track — inflicted severe damage as the Quetta-bound train was passing through the Spizend area, officials said.
Heavy contingents of police and paramilitary forces have cordoned off the area and launched an investigation to determine the nature of the explosion. Initial reports suggest that the railway track sustained significant damage.
Baloch Insurgents Suspected Behind Latest Blast
Authorities suspect that Baloch insurgent groups, including the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), are behind the repeated attacks on the Jaffar Express, which has been targeted multiple times this year. The insurgent group has long operated in Balochistan, carrying out bombings, derailments, and ambushes against infrastructure and security forces.
The repeated assaults on the Jaffar Express underscore the growing threat to civilian infrastructure and highlight the urgent need for enhanced rail security across Pakistan’s volatile southwestern regions.
