Hostages have been killed after separatist militants seized a train carrying hundreds, Pakistani authorities have said.
An insurgent attack on the busy train is said to have now ended, with all the attackers killed after a day-long standoff, according to security officials.
However, separatist militants said on Wednesday, 12th March, that they had killed 50 of the hostages after they barricaded themselves inside the train with over 400 people.
Officials said that over 300 hostages had been rescued and the operation was ongoing. They gave no details about those who had been killed.
Earlier in the standoff, security forces exchanged gunfire with the militants, who were said to be wearing vests loaded with explosives.
A government spokesman described the attack as “an act of terrorism”.
The train was hijacked on Tuesday as it entered a tunnel in Bolan, a district in the southwestern province of Balochistan.
Officials said over 50 militants had been killed.
Passengers who have been freed described how gunfire was “coming from everywhere.”
The Jaffar Express was packed with 425 people, including women and children.
On Tuesday, officials said that of the rescued hostages, 37 had been injured and were receiving medical treatment.
The train was on a 1,000-mile journey from Quetta to the city of Peshawar.
Militants blew up the railway tracks before firing at the train, killing the driver and trapping it inside a tunnel at Mashkaf.
Noor Muhammad, who was travelling with his wife, said: “First, they hit the engine with an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade).
“After that, gunfire started and explosions were heard, RPGs were used. God saved us. They made us get off (the train) and told us to get down or they would shoot. We got down and then they said ‘leave’.”
Bashir Yousaf, who was with his family, said: “Everyone was crying and passengers were shouting, everyone was lying on the floor trying to save their lives.
“The sound of gunfire was coming from everywhere, then they (insurgents) told us to get down.
“After getting off we were told not to look back. I just kept walking without looking back to save my family’s lives.”
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned the attack and said security officials were “repelling” the militants.
Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi called the attackers “enemies” of Pakistan and vowed to foil their conspiracy to destabilise the nation.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack.
The militant group demanded the release of Baloch political prisoners, activists, and missing persons within 48 hours.
It threatened to start executing the hostages if the government did not fulfil its demands.
