PICTURE: SOCIAL MEDIA
QUETTA: After terrorists took hostage passengers of a train, Jaffar Express, going from Quetta to Peshawar in Bolan yesterday, security forces said their operation was still underway.
The security forces said that 155 hostage passengers out of the total over 400 had been rescued so far while 27 terrorists killed.
According to security sources, terrorist suicide bombers were using people as shields. Therefore, the security forces were working very carefully to avoid casualties in the train.
Of the passengers released, 58 were men, 31 women and 15 children and 17 of them were taken to hospital as they had injuries.
Under the supervision of security forces, a freight train carrying the rescued passengers arrived at Machh railway station while other recovered people were also being taken to safe places.
Security sources say that so far 27 terrorists have been killed in the operation.
A passenger who was released in the operation of the forces said that there was a shooting, thank God that the army and FC officials brought us here safely. The army and FC officials rescued us and brought us to safety.
According to social media reports, the terrorists set free some of the hostages including women, children and elderly.
According to railway officials, the Jaffar Acropeus consisted of nine bogies and carried than 400 passengers. The train left Quetta at 9am on Tuesday. The passenger train was going from Quetta to Peshawar, during which a blast was first carried out on the track and then the train was fired upon, after which there was an exchange of fire between the security personnel on the train and the terrorists.
According to Levies officials, the shooting incident took place in the Piru Kinneri area of Kachhi (Bolan) district of Balochistan, as a result of which the train driver was injured while the train is currently parked in the tunnel.
Security sources said that the terrorists stopped the train in the tunnel.
