Peshawar, Oct 7: Several passengers were injured on Tuesday when a blast on a railway track derailed five bogies of the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express in Sindh province, railway police said. The explosion occurred near Somarwah, close to Sultan Kot in Shikarpur district. Injured passengers were rushed to nearby hospitals, while a rescue operation is underway.
Heavy contingents of police and paramilitary forces cordoned off the area to secure the site and collect evidence. Initial reports indicate significant damage to the railway track.
The Jaffar Express, which operates between Quetta and Peshawar, has been repeatedly targeted this year. In September, a blast in Dasht, Mastung district, derailed six coaches, injuring 12 passengers. In August, two separate attacks injured four people and involved gunfire on the train’s pilot engine. In June, an explosion in Jacobabad derailed four coaches with no casualties.
The worst attack occurred on March 11, when the train was hijacked, killing 26 people, including security personnel, and prompting a targeted operation in which 33 terrorists were killed and 354 hostages rescued. Ethnic Baloch terrorist groups, including the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), are believed responsible for such attacks. (Agencies)
