The explosion occurred after the train had pulled to a stop and passengers were disembarking at Sibi railway station around 160 kilometres (100 miles) south of its destination Quetta. Two carriages quickly became engulfed by a scorching inferno and smoke as passengers, some of whom were on fire, screamed and struggled to escape, senior police official Mohammad Nazar, who was at the scene, told AFP.
"We have recovered 12 dead bodies from the train. They have been burnt to charcoal," he said, adding one of the injured had died after being taken to a military hospital in the same town. Sher Khan Bazai, a senior administration official, confirmed the incident.
"24 patients are in critical condition, they will be shifted to Quetta as soon as they are stable enough to travel," he said, adding that the injured included six women and four children. The flames were only put out after fire fighters reached the scene, Nazar told AFP. "I can't say whether the dead are adults or children as they are beyond recognition," he said.
'Revenge' against operation - "Today's attack was revenge against the military operation," said UBA spokesman Mureed Baloch. "We warn the people not to travel in trains as we will continue attacks in the future," he added. The train, known as Jaffar Express, is a daily express service covering a 1,460 kilometre journey from the garrison city of Rawalpindi in the Punjab province to Quetta. Bazai, the administration official, said the two affected bogies had been disconnected and the train resumed its journey. Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said the same service had been attacked a few days earlier, but there were no casualties.
"A few days ago terrorists fired upon a train when it came out of a tunnel (in Balochistan), but they ran away when security forces responded to firing. "The train was standing at Sibi railway station where FC and other law enforcement agencies are always alert. We will have to review the security and find out the cracks from where the terrorists slipped in and planted the explosives," he added.
APP adds: "Rawalpindi-bound Jaffar Express was stationed at Sibi railway station as explosives planted by unknown men in the bogie No 9 went off, killing at least 13 passengers on the spot while the death toll could rise," Home Minister Balochistan Mir Sarfaraz Bugti said. As many as, 80 people were on board in the last compartment of the Jaffar Express which was badly damaged as a result of blast.
Emergency has been enforced in Sibi. Some of the injured were being transported to Quetta for medical aid. Chief Minister Balochistan, Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, Governor Balochistan Mohammad Khan Achakzai and Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti flayed the attack in strong terms. Expressing sympathies with the bereaved families, they reiterated that the culprits would be brought to justice.