QUETTA: Residents in Pakistan’s southwestern city of Quetta said this week they were struggling to prepare for Eid Al-Adha after a suicide bomb attack on a passenger train killed more than 30 people and destroyed homes and vehicles in surrounding neighborhoods.
The attack, claimed by the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), targeted a shuttle train carrying Pakistani security personnel and their families on Sunday in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. Officials said the bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the train, derailing coaches and damaging nearby residential areas.
The bombing was the latest in a series of attacks in Balochistan, a mineral-rich province bordering Iran and Afghanistan where separatist militants have waged a decades-long insurgency against the Pakistani state. The region is also home to major Chinese-backed infrastructure and energy projects, including the strategic Gwadar deep-sea port.
As rescue workers cleared debris and families surveyed damaged homes ahead of the Eid holiday tomorrow, Wednesday, residents described scenes of devastation and uncertainty.
“I appeal to the government to help me. My entire house, from top to bottom, has been destroyed. We had built this house with great hard work. My husband drove a vehicle his entire life, and I saved every single penny to build this house. Please help me,” said Hishrat, a housewife whose home was damaged in the blast.
“People are roaming in the markets for Eid shopping and for purchasing animals for sacrifice, but for us, you see our condition,” said Muhammad Haseeb, a private employee.
“We are busy cleaning up our destroyed house. The explosion that happened yesterday destroyed our entire neighborhood including our house. There has been a great deal of financial and human loss.”
Another resident, Farooq, said Eid was no longer a priority for the community.
“Eid is for those whose houses are intact and who can go shopping. We also had to do shopping for Eid, but now that is impossible, because our house is destroyed,” he said.
Pakistani officials said the blast derailed the train’s engine and several coaches, while images from the scene showed overturned bogies, burnt vehicles and debris scattered across the area.
The BLA has intensified attacks in Balochistan in recent years, targeting trains, security forces and infrastructure projects. In March last year, militants hijacked the Jaffar Express train and took hundreds hostage before Pakistani forces launched an operation that ended the standoff.
