QUETTA: Five people, including two children, were injured in a bomb blast in the border town of Chaman in Qila Abdullah district, while Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express escaped a big disaster as an explosion took place on tracks near Dera Murad Jamali on Monday.

Security officials said that the bomb blast took place near a bus terminal on Mall Road in Chaman.

Official sources said that a motorbike loaded with explosives was parked near the bus terminal in Chaman when it went off.

A senior police officer said that windowpanes of several nearby shops and buildings were smashed due the impact of blast. A least three vehicles, including a bus, were also damaged. He said a bomb disposal squad visited the site and police collected evidence.

Jaffar Express escapes disaster near Dera Murad Jamali

Police and Frontier Corps personnel took the injured persons to the district hospital after cordoning off the area. Officials at the hospital said all the five injured persons were in a stable condition.

The injured were identified as Wilson Masih, a civilian employee of Frontier Corps, six-year-old Mohammad Saleem, five-year-old Mohammad Omer, Mohammad Essa Noorzai and Ahmedullah Alizai. The investigation is in progress.

Security forces have started the investigation and launched a search operation to trace out the culprits involved in the blast.

Four bogies of Jaffar Express were derailed due to the impact of the blast which damaged a big portion of the track. No casualty was reported.

Train service between Quetta and the rest of the country was suspended after the blast. Railway officials said: “Over 300 feet long track was badly damaged in the blast.

Sources said that the train was on its way to Dera Allah Yar and when it reached the railway station the blast took place.

“No passenger got injured travelling in the derailed bogies,” officials said, adding that security forces condoned off the area after the blast and took the passengers to a safe place.

A relief train with engineers and other staff has reached Dera Murad Jamali from Sukkur. “The damaged track will be repaired during the night and train service is expected to be restored on Tuesday morning,” railway officials said.

Ali Jan Mangi in Dera Murad Jamali also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2019