PAKISTANI authorities said today that an insurgent attack on a train carrying hundreds of passengers has ended, with all attackers killed following a standoff in which some of the hostages taken lost their lives.
Security officials said over 300 hostages had been rescued but gave no details about those killed.
The separatists attacked the train carrying about 450 people on Tuesday in a tunnel in a remote part of south-western Balochistan province.
The separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) admitted responsibility.
Spokesman Jeeyand Baloch had said the group was ready to free passengers if the authorities agree to release jailed militants.
There was no comment on that from the government, which has rejected such demands in the past.
The BLA regularly targets Pakistani security forces and in the past has also attacked civilians, including Chinese nationals working on multibillion-dollar projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Pakistan hosts thousands of Chinese workers building major infrastructure projects, including ports and airports in Balochistan.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said her country would “continue to firmly support Pakistan in advancing its counterterrorism efforts.”
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the scene of insurgency, with separatists demanding greater autonomy from the government in Islamabad and a larger share of the region’s natural resources.