A bomb blast on Thursday partially damaged a bogie of the Quetta-bound Bolan Mail train, which was traveling through Balochistan’s Sibi district. The explosion, which targeted the railway track between Bakhtiarabad and Damboli areas, resulted in minor damage, but the train continued its journey safely to the Sibi station.
On Thursday, a bogie of the Bolan Mail, a Quetta-bound train, was “partially damaged” after an explosion struck a railway track in Balochistan’s Sibi district. The incident occurred while the train was traveling from Karachi to Quetta, following its usual route with more than 20 stops along the way.
According to Murtaza, the station master in Sibi, the explosion occurred on the railway track between Bakhtiarabad and Damboli areas. He confirmed that the train’s bogie No. 7 was hit and partially damaged by the blast. However, despite the explosion, the train safely reached Sibi railway station without any further incidents.
Muhammad Kashif, the public relations officer for the Quetta Railway divisional superintendent, stated, “We were informed that a blast occurred on the track at KM No. 200 between Damboli and Dangra while train 3UP was passing. However, the train passed safely and is now reaching Sibi.” As a precautionary measure, another train, 40UP, was halted at Dera Murad Jamali Station (DMJJ) until the situation was assessed.
Balochistan has experienced a rise in terrorist attacks in recent years, with several incidents involving the sabotage of train tracks targeting the province’s transport infrastructure. This explosion is part of a broader pattern of such attacks in the region.
The Bolan Mail is a significant service for connecting Quetta with the rest of Pakistan. Despite the increase in attacks over the years, train services between Quetta and other parts of the country were only restored in March after a major disruption caused by the hijacking of the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express in Balochistan’s Sibi area. This hijacking resulted in the deaths of 21 passengers and four security personnel, with all 33 terrorists involved being neutralized during a military clearance operation.
In recent months, Balochistan has seen other incidents of explosions targeting train tracks, including a powerful blast in June that caused the derailment of four bogies of the Jaffar Express in Jacobabad. Fortunately, no casualties were reported in that incident.
