‘Bloodbath’: Railway station bombing in Quetta, Pakistan leaves 26 dead

It was for illustration ‘Judgement Day’, says 1 victim, aft a termination bomber targeted passengers waiting to committee an definitive train

Quetta, Pakistan — On Saturday morning, Ikhtiar Hussain, a elder summons inspector for Pakistan Railways arrived astatine Quetta Railway Station successful nan country’s Balochistan state astatine astir 8:25am section clip (03:25 GMT), fresh to committee nan train to commencement work.

Seconds later, Hussain heard a powerful detonation and fell to nan ground. Shrapnel from nan detonation had deed his correct cheek, and his look started bleeding.

At slightest 26 people, including information unit and civilians, were killed, and dozens were injured aft a termination bomber targeted passengers who were waiting for nan Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express connected Saturday morning.

Hussain, 47, survived — but pinch wounds connected his look and memories that will ne'er fade.

“It was a position of Judgement Day, because successful seconds group smiling astatine nan position fell down connected nan crushed successful a bloodbath,” Hussain recalled to Al Jazeera from Civil Hospital Quetta, wherever he is receiving curen for his wounds.

Pakistani officials person confirmed that it was a termination attack. Law enforcement agencies are investigating really nan attacker managed to get wrong nan position contempt strict information measures astatine nan introduction and exit gates.

An outlawed equipped secessionist group, nan Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) (BLA), has claimed work for nan attack.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and different elder governmental leaders person condemned nan onslaught connected unarmed passengers and promised to punish nan perpetrators.

But for galore whose friends and relatives are successful captious condition, nan authorities must besides reply questions.

Hafiz Allah Ditta, a 32-year-old section mason, had travel to nan position to spot disconnected a friend travelling to nan confederate metropolis of Bahawalpur. “As we entered level No. 1 of nan railway position a powerful detonation rocked nan area,” Ditta recalled. His friend is now successful captious attraction astatine nan hospital, he added.

“Policemen were opinionated astatine nan summons booth and searching nan pieces of baggage of passengers, but nan authorities should heighten information measures astatine nan railway position because we don’t really nan termination bomber barged wrong nan station,” Ditta said.

One of nan injured is brought to infirmary successful Quetta. The blast occurred connected nan level arsenic passengers prepared to committee nan Jaffar Express for Peshawar [Sami Khan/EPA-EFE]

Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, which shares borders pinch Iran and Afghanistan, has witnessed an uptick successful convulsive attacks since January. The authorities and information forces person been battling pinch belief equipped groups for illustration ISIL (ISIS), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch secessionist groups.

Last week, 9 group were killed successful an IED detonation that targeted a constabulary conveyance tasked pinch guarding polio vaccination teams successful Mastung, a distant metropolis located immoderate 52km (32 miles) from nan superior Quetta.

Commissioner Hamza Shafqat, a elder bureaucrat who leads nan administrative affairs successful 4 districts including Quetta, told reporters that CCTV footage suggested nan attacker had entered nan position pretending to beryllium a rider earlier he blew himself up.

Muhammad Amir Rafique, 41, different railway worker who was connected work astatine nan station, said he saw a plume of fume and particulate coming retired from nan level aft nan powerful explosion.

“We ran toward nan site, nan injured were screaming for thief and dormant bodies lying down connected nan floor,” he told Al Jazeera. Rafique past began helping constabulary and rescue workers move nan injured to ambulances.