QUETTA: Twelve people, including women and chil­dren, were injured wh­en the Quetta-bound Jaf­far Express was targeted in a bomb blast in the Spizend area of Mas­tung on Tuesday.

According to railway officials, six bogies of the train coming from Peshawar derailed after the blast and one overturned, injuring the passengers in that carriage.

It was the second blast in the same area within 10 hours. Earlier in the morning, an explosion had occurred near the main track linking Balochistan to the rest of the country, just as the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express was preparing to leave Quetta Railway Station. The train was briefly halted but allowed to continue after security clearance, as the track was not damaged.

Police officials said an explosive device plan­ted on the track was detonated when the Quetta-bound train was passing through the Spizend area.

“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 sustained injuries.

Security forces and pol­ice rushed to the site soon after the blast and shif­ted the injured to a nearby health facility.

The railway officials confirmed 270 passengers were on board at the time of the blast. They said the damaged part of the track would be repaired after security clearance on Wednesday, during which train service would remain suspended.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2025