When the attack took place, the nine-carriage passenger train, Jaffer Express, had more than 400 passengers on board.
By Wednesday morning, 155 passengers had been rescued.
The attack began with a massive explosion, and passengers were gripped with extreme fear—describing it as a doomsday-like scenario.
QUEETA ( WEB NEWS )
According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), on the night of March 11, a freight train was slowly crawling along the platform. Most passengers aboard were either standing or sitting on the floor, exhausted and frightened. This unusual scene was at the Mach railway station in Balochistan, where passengers had a harrowing experience on Tuesday that they might never forget.
As reported by the BBC, some of these passengers had been aboard the Jaffer Express, which was attacked by armed militants of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in the Dhadar area of Bolan on Tuesday afternoon. The militants had stopped the train in a tunnel and taken the passengers hostage. Even after more than 17 hours, a security operation was still underway.
According to military sources, 155 passengers had been rescued by Wednesday morning. In a statement released to the media on Tuesday, the BLA claimed that they had released civilians, women, and children. However, there was still no confirmed information about the remaining passengers. Speaking to private TV channel Geo News on Tuesday night, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry stated that many passengers had been taken to the mountains by the militants.
Passengers rescued and brought to Mach station on Tuesday night shared their accounts of the attack and its aftermath with the BBC.
Musaq Muhammad, who was in carriage number three of the Jaffer Express, said the attack started with a huge explosion. Ishaq Noor, who was in carriage number seven with his wife and two children, described how the blast was so intense that the train’s windows and doors shook, and his child, sitting next to him, fell to the floor.
According to Musaq Muhammad, the explosion was followed by gunfire, which lasted for about an hour. He described the scene as something that could never be forgotten.
Fearing for their lives, Ishaq Noor and his wife shielded their children under them, hoping to protect them from bullets. He recalled, “The gunfire must have lasted around fifty minutes. During that time, we barely breathed, fearing what might happen next.”
When the firing stopped, armed men entered the carriages, checking passengers’ identity cards and separating some of them. Three militants were stationed at each door of the carriage. They told the passengers that civilians, women, the elderly, and Baloch individuals would not be harmed.
Musaq Muhammad said the militants were conversing in Balochi, and their leader repeatedly instructed them to keep a close eye on security personnel and not let them escape.
According to Ishaq Noor, at least 11 passengers from their carriage were taken out, as they were identified as security personnel. When one person attempted to resist, he was beaten and forcibly removed before gunfire was heard. After this, everyone in the carriage followed the militants’ instructions without protest.
Later in the evening, the militants announced that they were releasing Baloch passengers, women, children, and elderly individuals. Ishaq Noor, who was initially not being released, was eventually allowed to leave after informing them that he was a resident of Turbat and was traveling with his family.
Muhammad Ashraf had boarded the Jaffer Express on Tuesday morning to visit his relatives in Lahore. His sons had arrived at Quetta railway station in the afternoon, desperately searching for information about their father’s safety. Speaking over the phone from Mach and later in person at Quetta station, Muhammad Ashraf described the arduous journey from the attack site to Paneer station.
He said the militants released the elderly, civilians, women, and children in the evening, after which they had to undertake a long and difficult walk to Paneer station. The journey took three to three and a half hours, and was especially challenging because of exhaustion and the presence of children and women. Most people had left their belongings behind, and some elderly individuals had to be carried on others’ shoulders.
He described the fear among passengers as immense, comparing the situation to doomsday. In his estimation, around 200 to 250 people were taken by the militants, who themselves numbered approximately 100 to 125.
Another passenger, Bashir, who was traveling to Bahawalpur with his wife and two children, said that armed men ordered them to get off the train but did not stop him or his children. They were instructed not to look back as they made their way toward Paneer station through difficult terrain.
A female passenger recalled that when the militants attacked the train, there was first a massive explosion, filling the air with smoke. Then gunfire erupted from all directions. When the shooting stopped, the militants entered their carriage and ordered them to leave immediately.
She and her husband quickly exited the train. The militants detained many male passengers while allowing women, children, and the elderly to leave. She expressed deep concern about the fate of the men who had been left behind, uncertain about what would happen to them.