Separatist militants have taken 35 passengers hostage after attacking a train in southwestern Pakistan, and nearly 350 other passengers are believed to be safe, local police said on Tuesday.
The Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist militant group, said it blew up the track and “swiftly took control of the train.” The group said it had 214 hostages and threatened to kill them if Baloch prisoners are not freed.
The train was trapped in a tunnel and the driver was killed after sustaining serious injuries, local authorities, police and railway officials said.
“Around 350 passengers, including women and children, are safe and a relief train will be reaching the area where the train was attacked,” said a senior district police officer, Rana Dilawar.
“Security forces launched a massive operation,” he said, adding that helicopters and special forces had been deployed.
Security forces said an explosion had been heard near the tunnel and that they were exchanging fire with the militants in a mountainous area.
A security source who asked not to be identified said many people had lost their lives in the attack, adding that 80 military personnel were among the 425 passengers aboard the train.
Another security source said 104 passengers had been rescued, 17 wounded taken to hospital and 16 militants had been killed, adding the rest were surrounded.
“The operation will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated,” they said.
The BLA, which seeks independence for Balochistan province bordering both Afghanistan and Iran, said it had killed 30 soldiers and shot down a drone. There was no confirmation of that from Pakistani authorities.
“BLA is prepared for a prisoner exchange,” the group said, demanding the Pakistani state release within 48 hours Baloch political prisoners, activists and missing persons it said had been abducted by the military.
“If our demands are not met within the stipulated period or if the occupying state attempts any military action during this time all prisoners of war will be neutralized and the train will be completely destroyed.”
The group said the hostages included Pakistan army members and other security officials travelling on leave.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, saying security officials were “repelling” the militants.
“Civilian passengers, particularly women, children, the elderly, and Baloch citizens, have been released safely and given a secure route,” it said in a statement emailed to journalists and posted on Telegram.
“The BLA further warns that if military intervention continues, all hostages will be executed.”
The Jaffar Express had been on its way from Balochistan’s capital, Quetta, to the city of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when it was fired on.
Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, condemned the attack and said the government would not make any concessions to “beasts who fire on innocent passengers.”
The Balochistan government has imposed emergency measures to deal with the situation, spokesperson Shahid Rind said, without giving more details.
The BLA is the biggest of several groups battling the government for decades, saying it unfairly exploits Balochistan’s rich gas and mineral resources.
The conflict has seen frequent attacks against the government, army and Chinese interests in the region.
