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![\"Arthur](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/382d426c6388a100606b7151e1e867b4_French_Open_Tennis_5697_.jpg.webp\")
<\/p>\nArthur Gea of France warms up before the first round men’s singles tennis match against Karen Khachanov of Russia at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Aurelien Morissard)<\/p>\n
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QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) \u2014 A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a railway track as a passenger train passed through the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Sunday, killing at least 19 people and wounding over 70 others, officials said.<\/p>\n
The force of the explosion caused two of the train cars to overturn and catch fire, sending thick black smoke into the air, according to footage shared online.<\/p>\n
The attack happened in an area where security forces are usually stationed, badly damaging several nearby buildings and smashing more than a dozen vehicles parked along the road, according to witnesses and images circulating on social media.<\/p>\n
Doctors at local hospitals said they had received the wounded, with 20 in critical condition. Three security officials told The Associated Press the bodies were transported to hospitals following the attack. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to be able to speak to the media.<\/p>\n
The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, which demands independence from Pakistan\u2019s central government, has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to reporters. The militant group said it targeted a train carrying security personnel.<\/p>\n
Quetta is the capital of insurgency-hit Balochistan province. The oil- and mineral-rich region has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency. The insurgents have frequently targeted security forces, government installations and civilians in the province and elsewhere in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe strongly condemn the targeting of innocent civilians and are deeply saddened by the loss of precious human lives. Terrorist elements deserve no leniency,\u201d said Shahid Rind, Balochistan provincial government spokesman.<\/p>\n
He said following the explosion, a medical emergency was declared at hospitals in Quetta, and an investigation has been launched.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, calling it a \u201ccowardly act of terrorism” in a post on X and offering condolences to the families of the victims.<\/p>\n
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti strongly condemned the attack in Quetta, saying the militants targeted \u201cinnocent civilians, including women and children,\u201d vowing to \u201chunt (them down)\u201d in a post on X.<\/p>\n
Bugti and the federal government in Islamabad often use the phrase \u201cFitna al-Hindustan\u201d to refer to the BLA, which they allege is backed by India. New Delhi denies the allegation.<\/p>\n
Pakistan and India have long had strained relations and have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, which is claimed by both in its entirety.<\/p>\n
Although Pakistani authorities say they have quelled the insurgency, violence in Baluchistan has persisted.<\/p>\n
At least 26 people, including soldiers, were killed in 2024 when a suicide bomber attacked a train station in Balochistan.<\/p>\n
Paramilitary soldiers and volunteers transport an injured victim at the site of bomb explosion, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Arshad Butt)<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n A volunteer, top, helps an injured victim after recovering from an overturned train coach on a railway track at the site of bomb explosion, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Arshad Butt)<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Children look at an injured person passing through an alley near the site of a bomb explosion in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Arshad Butt)<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Paramilitary soldiers and volunteers recover victims from an overturned train coach on a railway track at the site of bomb explosion, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Arshad Butt)<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n
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