Hundreds of passengers taken hostage: Armed men hijack express train

Sibbi (Pakistan) - Train hijacking with hundreds of hostages: Insurgents have attacked a passenger train in southwest Pakistan.

A major hostage situation is currently underway in the remote mountains of Balochistan province. Hundreds of passengers on an express train are in the hands of insurgents, reports CNN.

Heavily armed militants struck as the train approached a tunnel near the Bolan Pass in the western province of Balochistan on Tuesday afternoon (local time).

A video distributed by the rebels shows an explosion on the tracks. The locomotive derails and a gigantic fireball forms, enveloping the front part of the train.

According to the authorities, the "Jaffer Express" train set off in the morning from the regional capital Quetta to the north-western city of Peshawar. Around 450 people were on board. "We are unable to contact passengers and crew and the situation remains unclear," a spokesman for the authorities told CNN.

Meanwhile, the militant separatist group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the train hijacking. They had taken control of the train, according to a statement that was also made available to TAG24. There was a battle in which six security forces were killed.

More than 100 passengers are now in rebel custody. Should the government attempt to storm the train, the BLA intends to execute all hostages.

The hostages are said to include high-ranking officials and members of the Pakistani security forces. Women, children and members of the Baloch minority, however, have been released.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani government is gathering more troops and a military train is on its way. But a war of nerves is looming. The hijacked train is in the middle of the barren Toba Kakar mountains and is difficult to reach. The kidnappers are apparently well entrenched. According to CNN, security forces are reporting fierce fighting near the train.

The BLA has been fighting for an independent state since 2000. The militants have repeatedly carried out attacks on security forces and state institutions. Hundreds of people have already fallen victim to the terror.

The insurgents justify their brutal actions with the exploitation of the rich natural resources of the otherwise bitterly poor province by the state.