UPDATE - 26 killed as explosion rocks railway station in southwestern Pakistan

Explosion hit ticket counter when train was preparing to leave Quetta station, say police

UPDATES WITH RISE IN DEATH TOLL, CHANGES HEADER, LEDE

By Islamuddin Sajid, Alperen Aktas and Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISLAMABAD / ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 26 people were killed and many others injured in a bomb explosion at Quetta city railway station in southwestern Pakistan early Saturday, police said.

So far 26 people have been killed and 46 others injured, Muhammad Akram, a local police official, told Anadolu over phone.

Earlier, a local senior police official, Muhammad Baloch, said that it seems to be a suicide bombing.

He added that the explosion hit a ticket counter at the station in the Balochistan provincial capital of Quetta.

Initial reports indicate the blast occurred when the train was about to leave the station for Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Given the usual high foot traffic at the station, authorities fear the number of casualties could rise.

Police and rescue teams quickly arrived at the scene as emergency measures were implemented at Quetta's Civil Hospital, with additional doctors and support staff to assist victims.

Pakistan has endured 785 terrorist attacks during the first 10 months of 2024, resulting in 951 deaths and 966 injuries, reflecting a persistently high level of violence across the country, according to a report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank.

Though terror attacks and bombings have dropped in Pakistan, October emerged as the second-deadliest month of the year as fatalities rose to 198.

Fatalities included 98 terrorists, 62 security personnel and 38 civilians.

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