Bolan Express bombed; one killed, 35 hurt

QUETTA - One person was killed and 35 injured including women and children when a bomb planted in a
washroom of Quetta-bound Bolan Express exploded near Kolpur, some 45 km away from provincial capital on
Thursday. Baloch Republican Army claimed responsibility for the bomb blast.
According to official sources, the train was travelling from Karachi to Quetta when it reached near Doozan
Railway Station of Kolpur area the device exploded in bogie number 3, killing Nabi Bakhsh hailing from Larkana
on the spot and leaving 35 others with critical wounds including women and children.
'It was a bomb planted in a toilet in an economy class carriage and the incident took place at a far-flung area,
said Manzoor Ahmad Magsi, DS Railways Quetta .
He said that investigations will be launched to know the actual reason behind the blast.
Soon after the incident Railways authorities, law-enforcement agencies and local people rushed to blast site and
retrieved the injured from the train.
The injured and deceased were rushed to Civil Hospital Quetta and Bolan Medical Complex Hospital where
emergency was declared.
The mother of 4-year-old Nouman and Mehmam-5, who were wounded in the blast, told The Nation that they
alongwith other relatives were heading Quetta from Karachi when a huge blast occurred in the cabin.
'Gaining conscious I found a man dead in the cabin and my children and other scores of people were wounded,
she added.
A 50 year old Hassan-ud-din who had received multiple injuries told that as the train approaching Kolpur, the
blast occurred and he was hit by many splinters and fell unconscious.
Some injured were identified as Habib, Gul Hameed, Shahzad, Aman Adeel, Mehmood, Ghulam Dastagir,
Barkat, Imran Masih, Parveen, Shakila, Noora Bibi, Fayyaz Ali, Ghuda Hassan and Sana Ali. The condition of
Barkat and several others was stated to be serious.
The spokesman of Baloch Republican Army (BRA) Sarbaaz Baloch calling from unspecified location claimed
responsibility of the blast.
According to reports, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has vehemently condemned the blast in Bolan
Express and ordered inquiry into the incident.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Asalm Raisani while condemning the blast directed to provide
best medical facilities to blast victims. He also directed the concerned authorities to submit the report about
incident within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, at least three people including two security personnel were killed and 12 others were wounded
apparently in remote controlled bomb blast in Khuzdar district on Thursday.
As per reports reaching here, unknown people had fitted an explosive device with a motorbike and parked it
close to the vehicle of security forces at national highway in Wadh area. The device exploded and killed two
security personnel and a passerby on the spot. Eleven others including five security personnel were wounded.
The injured were rushed to CMH Khuzdar.
The sources said that the explosion was made through a remote controlled device when some security
personnel were sitting in a vehicle near a hotel on the eve of inauguration of free medical camp.
Some injured were identified as Irshad, Amjad, Muhammad Ishaq, Faiz Muhamamd, Pasoond Khan,
Niamatullah, Habib-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Ramazan, and Gul Muhammad.
Soon after the incident law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area and started search for accused
persons.
The sources said several accused people have been arrested in connection with the blast and they were being
interrogated.
Meanwhile, spokesman of Lashkar-e-Balochistan an armed resistance group claimed responsibility for the
bomb attack on security personnel.