NEW DELHI, March 12. /TASS/. At least 10 people have been killed after militants seized a passenger train in Pakistan, the Dawn newspaper reported citing sources.
The victims include the train driver and at least eight security officers. The exact number of fatalities has not yet been officially confirmed. Additionally, 37 people have been hospitalized following the start of a counter-terrorist operation.
Radio Pakistan, citing sources in the security agencies, reports that the militants possess explosives. The special operation to eliminate the extremists and free the hostages continues.
Earlier, Geo TV reported that at least 155 hostages out of the 450 passengers on the train at the time of the attack have been released. Nearly 30 militants have been killed. The exact number of extremists involved in the train hijacking remains unclear.
On Tuesday, militants from the Balochistan Liberation Army, an extremist group, took 450 passengers hostage on a train traveling from Quetta, the administrative center of the Balochistan province, to Peshawar, the administrative center of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The militants blew up the railroad tracks and then opened fire on the train. A firefight ensued between the train's security personnel and the extremists. Russia's Consulate General in Karachi informed TASS that they have no information on whether Russian citizens were among the hostages.