Quotes
We left the platform from Quetta at 9 AM… then we heard an explosion. We hid to save ourselves. There was firing… They then entered our coaches and told us, ‘We won’t do anything to you.’ And they didn’t."
Detailing the harrowing moments of the attack, the man said
We don’t know what happened in the other coaches,
he addedThey came and checked IDs and service cards and shot two soldiers in front of me and took the other four to... I don't know where,
said one passenger who asked not to be identified, after walking four hours to the nearest train station
Security forces have safely rescued 155 passengers... 27 terrorists have been eliminated,
a security source saidInformation suggests that some militants have fled, taking an unknown number of hostages into the local mountainous areas,
a security official in the area told AFP.jpg)
I can't find the words to describe how we managed to escape. It was terrifying,
Muhammad Bilal, one of the freed hostages, told AFP news agency
No one is telling me what's happening or if they're safe,
Imran Khan told Reuters news agencyThe attack on Jaffar Express is an attack on national security and will be responded to with full force,
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said, condemning the attack
It's a no signal area. They [attackers] stopped the train at a spot where there is no signal support,
Hayat saidWe took cover under the seats,
Ghulam Nabi, another freed passenger, told media about the moments soon after the attackSo far, it's no foot on the ground,
railway official Hayat told VOA, noting the inability of railway staff to reach the scenePeople were attacked ... passengers were injured and some passengers died,
said Muhammad Ashraf, who was on the train
If you cannot protect trains, then you should not run them. Please, bring my son back,
she saidInstead of revising its counterproductive policies, it is persisting with them, resulting in recurrent security and intelligence failures,
Basit said
The insurgency has evolved both in its strategy and scale,
he added,People began hiding under the seats in panic. The militants separated the men from the women. They allowed me and my family to go because I told them I’m a heart patient,
the 49-year-old added
We walked for a long time through the mountains to reach the nearest station. I haven’t eaten since I began fasting this morning, but I still can’t bring myself to eat,
Allahditta added, in reference to the Muslim holy month of RamadanI heard an explosion, followed by gunshots, as militants stormed the train,
Allahditta, a passenger, told AFP at the Mach train station, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to treat the injuredIt looks [like] a terrorism attack, but we still don't know the exact situation,
Government spokesperson Shahid Rind said
Militants were using the passengers as shields and they have placed suicide bombers wearing explosive vests dangerously close to the hostages,
a security official told DPA off the record