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At least 24 people have died after a suicide bomber targeted a train carrying military personnel and their families in Pakistan's city of Quetta, officials told Sky News.
A vehicle packed with explosives struck one of the carriages of a shuttle service traveling through a residential area in Quetta, killing several nearby residents.
Heavy gunfire was also reported following the explosion, and authorities declared an emergency in several city hospitals.
Babar Yousafzai, a special assistant to the provincial home department, told reporters that security forces and rescue teams reached the site as police tried to ascertain the nature of the blast.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the incident, calling it a "cowardly act of terrorism" in a post on X and offering condolences to the families of the victims.
BLA, a separatist group seeking independence from Pakistan, has claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack in a statement sent to journalists.
The Associated Press reported that the militant group specifically targeted a train transporting security personnel.
The incident took place in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, a mineral-rich region and a key route for the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The province has long been plagued by militancy from separatist groups.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which has a history of carrying out similar assaults, frequently targets security forces, infrastructure, and civilians both within the region and across the country.
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