Passengers describe ‘scenes of the end of the world’ after kidnapping

Passengers who were released from a train seized by armed militants have talked about “Final Judgment Day” that developed aboard the Jaffar Express in the province of Baluchistan of Pakistan.

“We have the breath throughout the shot, without knowing what would happen next,” said Ishaq Noor, one of those on board, to the BBC.

It was one of the more than 400 passengers traveling from Quetta to Peshawar on Tuesday when the Baluchistan Liberation Army (BL) attacked and took a number hostage. The train driver was among several injured reported.

Military sources claim that 155 passengers have been released and 27 militants killed. There is no independent confirmation of those figures. Rescue operations continue.

Security forces say they have deployed hundreds of troops to rescue the remaining passengers. The authorities have also deployed helicopters and special forces personnel.

The Bla has warned about “serious consequences” if you try to rescue the remaining hostages.

More than a dozen released passengers were taken to the hospital to receive treatment.

The reports that cite security officials say that some of the militants may have left the train, leading to an unknown number of passengers with them in the surrounding mountainous area.

At least 100 of those on the train were members of the security forces, authorities said.

Muhammad Ashraf, who was traveling from Quetta to Lahore to visit the family, was among a group of passengers who managed to disembark the train on Tuesday night.

“There was a lot of fear among the passengers. It was a scene of the final judgment day,” he said.

Then, the group walked for almost four hours until the next railway station. Several of the men led the weakest passengers on their shoulders.

“We arrived at the station with great difficulty, because we were tired and there were children and women with us,” he said.

Noor, who was traveling with his wife and two children, said that the initial explosion on the train was “so intense” that one of his children fell from the seat.

He and his wife tried to protect a child amid the shots.

“If a bullet comes in our way, it will hit us and not the children,” he said.

Mushtaq Muhammad, who was in the third train carriage, recalled the “unforgettable” attack and passengers affected by panic.

“The attackers were talking to each other in Balochi, and their leader repeatedly told them to” watch “especially in security personnel to make sure (the attackers) do not lose them,” he said.

The attackers began to free some residents of Baluchistan, as well as women, children and elderly passengers, Tuesday night, said Ishaq, added that they let him go when he told them that he was a resident of the city of Tobat in Baluchistan, and saw that he had children and women with him.

However, it is still not clear how many passengers are still hostage.

Security forces say they have launched an important operation to rescue the remaining passengers, deploying hundreds of troops. The authorities have also deployed helicopters and special forces personnel.

On Wednesday, the BBC saw dozens of wooden coffins loaded at the Quetta train station. A railroad official said they were empty and that they were being transported to collect possible victims.

The blade has fought an insurgency of decades to gain independence And he has launched numerous mortal attacks, often aimed at police stations, railway lines and roads.

According to reports, counterinsurgency operations in Baluchistan impoverished by the Army and Pakistan security forces have seen thousands of people disappear without a trace since the early 2000s. Security forces are accused of crimes, including torture and extrajudicial murdersaccusations that deny.

The Pakistani authorities, as well as several Western countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, have designated the terrorist organization of Group A.

Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission said it is “seriously concerned” about the kidnapping of trains.

“We firmly urge all those relevant to forge a consensus in favor of urgent rights of rights on the issues faced by citizens in Baluchistan and to find a peaceful political solution,” he said in A statement about x.

The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has “condemned” the siege of the train and also requested the immediate release of the remaining passengers.

Additional reports from Azadeh Moshiri