QUETTA, Mar 15 (NNI): In Bolan, the aftermath of the attack on the Jaffar Express remains visible, three days after security forces freed hundreds of hostages from BLA terrorists.
According to a private television channel report a group of journalists arrived on-site in the affected area, part of a team of journalists who traveled on a train to the spot where train with over 450 passengers was hijacked on March 11.
The explosion resulted in damage to five carriages and the engine of the train.
The destruction in the region was apparent even on Saturday. The blast impacted both the train’s engine and five carriages.
Reports indicate that dozens of terrorists came down from the mountains to execute the attack.
Brigadier Omer Altaf from Balochistan FC North told journalists that they recovered at least 8 IEDs that the terrorists had planted near the train to blow it up.
Brig Altaf said the terrorists occupied all the surrounding hills in the region, making it difficult for the forces to approach the train. They were finally engaged and a large number of them were ‘neutralized’, he said.
Pakistan Railways Deputy Chief Enginer Rasheed Imtiaz said it would take them around 12 hours to restore the track. He said the railway track in Bolan region was a per-partition engineering marvel that passed through 22 tunnel.
Jaffar Express departed Quetta at 9:30am on March 11. As it passed through Gudallar and Piro Konari, unidentified gunmen opened fire. The train driver was critically injured and later succumbed to his wounds. Several passengers also lost their lives.
Eyewitnesses and Levies sources reported that the train was halted in the mountainous region of Machh. The terrorists used explosives to destroy the railway track before opening fire, killing the driver and several passengers.
Following the attack, train services from Quetta to the rest of the country were suspended.
Security has been heightened at Quetta railway station, and a relief train carrying medical supplies is en route to Machh. NNI
