A paramilitary soldier stands guard at a railway station in the Sibi district of southwestern Balochistan province during a security operation against militants a day after they hijacked a passenger train. Pics/AFP
Security sources said 37 passengers were injured during the rescue operation and have been sent for medical treatment
The Jaffar Express, with around 500 passengers on board in nine coaches, was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar when armed men intercepted it in a tunnel near the mountainous terrain of Gudalar and Piru Kunri in the Bolan area on Tuesday afternoon
Bolan is a mountainous area of more than 100 kilometres between Quetta and Sibi. There are 17 tunnels in this area through which the railway track passes. The speed of trains is often slow in the area due to the difficult terrain
The militants set off a bomb on the railway track, halting the train, and then took about 400 passengers, including women and children, hostage
In Balochistan, different trains including the Jaffar Express were targeted several times in terrorist attacks. Earlier in November, at least 26 people were killed and more than 40 were injured including women and children in an explosion at Quetta railway station's platform, ARY News reported
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