At least four people were injured on Tuesday evening when an explosion derailed six carriages of the Jaffar Express in Balochistan’s Mastung district, according to officials. The incident occurred near Spezand town in the Dasht tehsil, adding to a series of militant attacks targeting the province’s vital transport infrastructure.
Dr. Waseem Baig, spokesperson for the Balochistan Health Department and Quetta Civil Hospital, confirmed that three injured individuals were transported to the Civil Hospital Trauma Centre, while an injured child was taken to the Combined Military Hospital.
Muhammad Kashif, public relations officer for Pakistan Railways’ Quetta division, stated that a railway track was deliberately blown up with explosives at Spezand. The train, carrying 270 passengers, was en route from Peshawar to Quetta when the blast occurred. Following the explosion, a relief train was promptly dispatched from Quetta, accompanied by a team of officers, rescue trucks, and private cranes to assist in recovery operations.
Kashif added that repairs to the railway track and the removal of the derailed carriages are scheduled to commence at daylight on Wednesday. An investigation into the incident has been launched, with security forces cordoning off the area and initiating a search operation.
This latest attack underscores a significant rise in militant activity in Balochistan over recent years, with train tracks frequently targeted. Just last month, six carriages were derailed near the same location. That incident came mere days after another close call in Balochistan’s Sibi, where a bomb planted near the track exploded shortly after a Quetta-bound Jaffar Express passed by.
Previous incidents include a powerful explosion on July 24 that damaged a carriage of the Bolan Mail on the Quetta-Sibi rail section. While a Jaffar Express derailment in Sindh’s Sukkur on July 28 was initially attributed to an explosion by some government-run media, the Ministry of Railways later clarified it was due to a technical fault. In June, four carriages of the Jaffer Express derailed in Jacobabad following an explosion caused by a remotely controlled device, though no injuries were reported.
The escalating security challenges for railway operations were also evident in April, when a train heading from Karachi to Quetta was halted at Jacobabad railway station for security reasons. Train services between Quetta and the rest of the country had only been fully restored on March 27, after a major disruption earlier that month. On March 11, the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express, carrying 440 passengers, was hijacked near Balochistan’s Sibi area, resulting in the deaths of 21 passengers and four security personnel. Military officials later announced that “all 33 terrorists” involved were neutralized during a two-day clearance operation.
