Terror strike: Blast derails Bugti Express

Railway officials said that explosives were planted on the track

QUETTA: One person was injured after an improvised explosive device (IED) placed on the railway line detonated, partially derailing the Quetta-bound Akbar Bugti Express in Dasht area on Thursday evening.

A railway official confirmed that at least eight bogies and the engine of the train were derailed as a result of the blast, while one person was injured.

“The engine and eight boogies got derailed after the blast,” he said. “There was intense firing after the explosions.”

The railway official added that IEDs were planted on the railway track, which detonated just as the Quetta-bound train from Lahore was passing through Dasht.

“One injured was brought at the Provincial Sandeman Hospital,” medics confirmed. The injured was identified as Javed, and is said to be out of danger. While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, rail traffic between Quetta and the rest of the country has been suspended.

Shortly after the incident, security forces and rescue workers reached the spot and repair work on the damaged track has begun.

Meanwhile, Railways Minister Saad Rafiq has said that all passengers were safe in the aftermath of the attack and that 80 per cent of the passengers have been sent to Quetta via road.

He added that DS Quetta and IG Railways have been directed to submit an inquiry report by Friday.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2014.