Bomb blast derails 6 Jaffar Express bogies; here's what happened
What's the story
A bomb blast derailed six bogies of the Jaffar Express in Balochistan's Mastung district, Pakistan, on Sunday. The incident took place near Spezand station when the train was traveling from Quetta to Peshawar City with 350 passengers on board. Fortunately, no casualties were reported, but five sustained injuries. Muhammad Kashif, public relations officer of Pakistan Railways's Quetta division, confirmed the incident and said a loud explosion from a bomb attached to the railway track caused the derailment.
Rescue operation
Train bogies placed back on track
Security forces and rescue teams promptly reached the spot of the incident and cordoned off the area to start a search operation. Kashif said four of the derailed bogies were placed back on track, while efforts were underway to restore the other two. A relief train was also sent by Pakistan Railways to bring back all 350 passengers safely to Quetta.
Service suspension
All tickets for affected journey to be refunded
Further, Kashif said all tickets for the affected journey would be refunded. He also announced that train services of both the Jaffar Express and Bolan Mail were suspended in light of this incident. The Jaffar Express was suspended for three days till August 14, while the Bolan Mail will resume operations on August 16 from Karachi to Quetta, he added.
Previous incidents
Close call for Jaffar Express in Sibi
This incident comes just days after another close call for the Jaffar Express in Sibi, Balochistan. A bomb near the track exploded moments after a passenger train passed by. On July 24, an explosion damaged a bogie of Bolan Mail on the Quetta-Sibi rail section. A July 28 derailment of Jaffar Express train in Sindh's Sukkur was initially blamed on an explosion but later attributed to technical faults by Ministry of Railways.
Historical context
Deadliest attack took place in March
The deadliest attack took place in March, when terrorists hijacked a Jaffar Express train. The train was carrying roughly 400 passengers, including many women and children, along with dozens of security personnel. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack. In the ensuing operation, 33 BLA members were killed.