At least 155 hostages were freed after armed rebels hijacked a train carrying over 400 passengers in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan region on Tuesday. The rescued passengers – including 58 men, 31 women, and 15 children – were taken to Mach, a nearby town where a makeshift hospital has been set up. It is not clear how many hostages remained on board.
The Jaffar Express was intercepted by armed attackers in a tunnel in a remote area on its way from Quetta to Peshawar – a route that was made operational after a month-long suspension. The gunfight between the rebels of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Pakistani forces continued overnight, in which at least 27 rebels have been killed.