Pakistan Railways has suspended the (train) services of the Jaffar Express and Bolan Mail for security reasons following a bomb blast on Sunday in Balochistan. According to a spokesperson, the Jaffar Express will not operate on August 11, 13, and 14, while the Bolan Mail will resume operations on August 16 from Karachi to Quetta.
Earlier in the day, a bomb attached to the railway track exploded near Spezand station in district Mastung’s Dasht tehsil, derailing six bogies of the Quetta-to-Peshawar Jaffar Express carrying around 350 passengers. No casualties were reported. Security forces and rescue teams rushed to the site, cordoning off the area and launching a search operation. A relief train later brought passengers back to Quetta, while efforts to restore the damaged bogies continued.
The blast came just three days after a similar attempted attack in Sibi, where an explosion occurred moments after the Jaffar Express had passed, and less than three weeks after a July 24 blast damaged a bogie of the Bolan Mail.
