Fact check: Viral video does not show recent Quetta train attack

Video shows a BLA attack on the Jaffar Express that took place in January 2022

Multiple people on social media platform X were sharing a video of a train explosion since Sunday, claiming it shows a recent attack on a shuttle train near Chaman Phatak in Quetta. However, the video is old from January 2022, showing an attack on the Jaffar Express.

On Sunday, a vehicle-borne suicide bombing targeted a railway shuttle train near Chaman Phatak in Quetta, killing at least 14 people and injuring 20 others, including women and children. According to the Balochistan government, the victims included three Frontier Corps personnel and several civilians, while an entire family of four was among those killed.

The explosion derailed multiple train coaches, damaged nearby buildings and vehicles, and prompted emergency response measures, including the declaration of an emergency at major hospitals in Quetta.

Security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation, while federal and provincial leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, and Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, strongly condemned the attack, vowing to bring those responsible to justice and reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to combating terrorism.

How it started

On Sunday, a pro-PML-N account, based on its past posts, shared a video of a train blast on X, with the following caption: “Check the terrorist attack on the moving BLA train.”

The post gained 156,100 views.

A pro-PTI user, based on its past posts, also shared the same clip with the following caption: “The video of today’s terrorist attack on the train in Quetta has been released. Try to gauge the extent of the damage from the intensity of the blast. There is a concern that the damage being reported is far too low. It is also alarming here that not only is the blast carried out, but its video is also recorded. This is exactly what was done during the hijacking of the Jaffar Express.”

The post gained 32,000 views.

Subsequently, other X users also shared the same visual with similar claims, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and here; collectively gaining 42,000 views.

Methodology

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the attack on the shuttle train in Quetta.

The video was previously fact-checked when it was circulated in March 2025 in connection with the attack on the Jaffar Express in Balochistan.

A reverse image search yielded a longer version of the video published by Funker530, a website that shares combat footage and military-related news.

According to the website, the video was originally released by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), showing an improvised explosive device attack on a train in the same area of Mashkaf as the recent attack, on January 18, 2022.

A keyword search to corroborate the incident yielded a January 19, 2022, news report by Dawn titled: “Six passengers injured as bomb blast derails Jaffar Express”.

According to the report, the BLA had derailed four bogies of the Jaffar Express, leaving six passengers injured, via a bomb blast at a railway track near Sibi on January 18, 2022.

Fact-check status: False

The claim that a viral video shows the recent train attack in Quetta is false.

The video is old and shows a BLA attack on the Jaffar Express that took place in January 2022 and is unrelated to the train bombing near Chaman Phatak in Quetta.

This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.