Suicide bombing in Pakistan kills at least 23 people, injures more than 70

A suicide attacker blew up an explosives-filled vehicle near a railway track as a passenger train traveled through the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Sunday, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 70 others, according to local reports. 

The banned separatist group known as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which seeks independence from Pakistan’s central government, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.

The explosion caused two train cars to derail and catch fire, according to videos shared online.

The attack struck an area typically occupied by security forces and it severely damaged nearby buildings.

More than a dozen vehicles parked along the road were destroyed.

Doctors at local hospitals said dozens of wounded victims had been admitted, including 20 in critical condition. Three security officials, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the victims’ bodies were transported to hospitals after the explosion.