EPA
Passengers who reached safety spoke about the fear and panic on the train
Passengers released from trains seized by armed extremists talk about the “end of the apocalypse” unfolded on the Jafar Express in Balochistan province of Pakistan.
“We held our breath while the fire was fired and we didn’t know what would happen next,” Ishak Noor, who was one on board, told the BBC.
He was one of more than 400 passengers running from Quetta to Peshawar when the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) attacked and took hostages on Tuesday. The train driver was among several people reportedly injured.
Military sources claim that 155 passengers were released and 27 militants were killed. There is no independent confirmation of these numbers. Rescue operations continue.
Security forces say they deployed hundreds of troops to save the remaining passengers. Authorities are also deploying helicopters and special forces personnel.
The BLA warns of “serious consequences” if attempts are made to save hostages.
At least 100 people on the train were members of the security forces, officials said. It is unclear how many passengers are still being held hostage – dozens of people released were taken to hospital for treatment.
Reports cited security guards say some militants may have left the train and may have taken an unknown number of passengers into the surrounding mountainous areas.
On Wednesday, the BBC saw dozens of wooden ffins loaded at Quetta train station. Railway officials said they were empty and were being transported to gather potential victims.
Reuters
Security forces say they deployed hundreds of troops to save the remaining passengers.
Muhammad Ashraf, a family visit from Quetta to Lahore, was one of a group of passengers who were able to unload the train late Tuesday.
“There was a lot of fear among the passengers. It was a doomsday scene,” he said.
The group then walked nearly four hours to the next train station. Several men put weaker passengers on their shoulders.
“We were tired and we had kids and women, so it was very difficult to get to the station,” he said.
Noor, who was traveling with his wife and two children, said the first explosion on the train was “very intense” and one of the children fell out of his seat.
He and his wife each tried to protect one child in the shooting.
“If a bullet comes our way, it will hit us, not our kids,” he said.
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Some passengers who managed to escape were walking almost four hours to the next train station.
Mushtaq Muhammad, who was riding in the third carriage on the train, recalled the passengers who were struck by panic.
“The attackers were talking to each other in Baloch, and their leaders repeatedly told them to “look at” security personnel, especially. [the attackers] Don’t lose them,” he said.
The attackers began releasing not only women, children and elderly passengers, but Balochistan residents as well, Ishak added that he was let go when he said he was a resident of Balochistan’s Tarbat city.
Meanwhile, Amjad Yasin, a relative of the train driver, is worriedly waiting for the news after hearing that he has been injured. He has been a train driver for 24 years and survived when the explosives targeted another train that was driving about eight years ago, they say.
“We’ve been feeling serious about the last few weeks because we’ve had an atmosphere of fear and when something happens,” his brother Amir told the BBC in Quetta.
The BLA has launched decades of rebellion to gain independence, launched many deadly attacks, and often targeted police stations, railroads and highways.
BBC Urdu
I saw wooden ffin loaded at Quetta station
“I’m worried.”
The Pakistani army and security forces’ counterinsurgency operations in poor Balochistan have reportedly seen thousands of people disappear without traces since the early 2000s. Security forces are charged with crimes such as torture and extrajudicial killings, as well as allegations they deny.
Pakistani authorities have designated terrorist organizations for the group, as well as several Western countries, including the UK and the US.
Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission said the train hijacking was a “significant concern.”
“We urge all relevant stakeholders to build professional consensus based on urgent rights on the issues facing citizens of Balochistan and find a peaceful and political solution,” he said in a statement from X.
UN Director-General Antonio Guterres “strongly condemned” the train’s siege and called for the immediate release of the remaining passengers.
Additional Reports by Azadeh Moshiri
