Death toll in blast at Quetta railway station in Pakistan: rises to 26

A blast at a railway station in southwestern Pakistan has claimed the lives of at least 26 people, according to reports, in what is believed to be a bomb attack.

The Reuters news agency cited the inspector general of police for Balochistan, Mouzzam Jah Ansari, as saying that the explosion took place at a railway station in Quetta in Balochistan province.

"The target was army personnel from the Infantry School," Ansari said.

"So far 44 injured people have been brought to civil hospital," Dr. Wasim Baig, a hospital spokesman, told Reuters.

Police said the blast took place when passengers were waiting for a train traveling to the garrison city of Rawalpindi, from Quetta in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province. The explosion took place at around 8.45 a.m. (0345 GMT).

Rescue teams, firefighters and rescue teams searched through the abandoned luggage in the presence of security forces.

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