Blast targeting train kills at least 20 in Pakistan

At least 20 people have been killed and 70 others injured in an explosion targeting a train transporting military personnel in Pakistan.The blast occurred while the train was travelling through Chaman Phatak station in Quetta, the capital of the western Balochistan region, on Sunday morning.Railway officials told BBC Urdu that three coaches and the engine were derailed while two were overturned. The shuttle service had primarily been transporting service personnel and their families who had been returning home for Eid.The Balochistan-liberation-army" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="133087" data-entity-type="organization">Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a suicide bombing. Pakistani officials have not yet confirmed this.Images from the scene show burnt-out and mangled carriages and nearby cars, as well as bomb damage to a nearby building. "The train was moving and there were passengers on board when the explosion occurred," Naseer Ahmed, a local resident, told the BBC.He said that, as it had been a Sunday morning, his family had been asleep when the blast occurred, shattering all his windows.A police officer and civil administration official in Balochistan confirmed to BBC Urdu that 20 people had been killed, with fears the death toll could rise.