A suicide attack kills 25 people at a train station in southwest Pakistan

A suicide bomber exploded at a crowded train station in violence-hit Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 25 people and wounding more than 50 others.

Senior police officer Mohammad Baloch told reporters the powerful blast in the provincial capital Quetta hit the passenger waiting area, where “around 100 people” were at the time.

Police and hospital officials said at least half of those killed and many of those injured were members of the Pakistani army, the main target of the attack.

Shahid Rind, the provincial government spokesman, said at least 10 of the injured were “in critical condition.”

An insurgent group, the Baloch Liberation Army, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, claiming a member of its suicide bombing group had attacked Pakistani military personnel.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the “terrorist” bombing in Quetta and vowed to punish those responsible for killing “innocent civilians,” his office said in a statement in Islamabad.

Last week, a bomb explosion in the provincial town of Mastung killed at least nine people, more than half of whom were schoolchildren. The attack targeted a police vehicle carrying personnel protecting polio vaccinators.

Balochistan, known for its rich natural resources, has seen a dramatic rise in militant attacks, killing hundreds of people this year alone.

The Baloch Liberation Army, designated a global terrorist organization by the United States, and several other Baloch ethnic militant groups regularly carry out attacks on Pakistani security forces and government facilities.

Insurgents claim their violent campaign is aimed at achieving the province's independence from Pakistan and accuse the central government of exploiting its resources.

Islamabad rejects the allegations and describes militant groups as “enemies of development” in Balochistan and across the country.