QUETTA — A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a railway track as a passenger train passed through Quetta on Sunday, killing at least 19 people and wounding more than 70, officials said. The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility in a statement sent to reporters, saying it had targeted a train carrying security personnel.

The force of the blast caused two train cars to overturn and catch fire, sending thick black smoke into the air, according to footage shared online. Witnesses and images posted on social media showed several nearby buildings badly damaged and more than a dozen vehicles parked along the road smashed by the explosion.

Doctors at local hospitals received the wounded from the explosion, with 20 in critical condition. The bodies of the victims were transported to hospitals following the attack, security officials said.

A medical emergency was declared at hospitals in Quetta following the explosion and an investigation has been launched, Balochistan provincial government spokesman Shahid Rind said. "We strongly condemn the targeting of innocent civilians and are deeply saddened by the loss of precious human lives. Terrorist elements deserve no leniency."

Quetta is the capital of Balochistan, a province rich in oil and minerals that has long been the scene of an insurgency. Insurgents have frequently targeted security forces, government installations and civilians in the province and elsewhere in the country. In 2024, a suicide bomber attacked a train station in Balochistan, killing at least 26 people, including soldiers.