An apparent car bombing rocked Pakistan's southwestern city of Quetta on Sunday morning, killing at least 24 people and injuring around 70 more, according to officials.

A high-ranking Balochistan provincial officer told CBS News that the blast was severe and that the number of people killed and injured may rise. 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the attack a "cowardly act of terrorism" on social media. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on social media that "innocent civilians, including women and children" were killed. 

The massive blast occurred near a railway track in the Faquir Abad area at around 8:00 a.m. local time and caused panic across nearby neighborhoods. Witnesses said the powerful explosion shook buildings, shattered windows and sparked a fire that engulfed parts of a passenger shuttle train. The Associated Press said the explosion occurred in an area where security forces are usually stationed. 

Pakistan Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi said the blast derailed the engine and three coaches on the shuttle train. Two other coaches overturned, he said. Photos show thick black smoke rising from the scene. Paramilitary soldiers and volunteers were photographed trying to pull victims from the wreckage. 

The Associated Press described the incident as a suicide bombing. A government investigation into the attack is ongoing. 

Area resident Aziz Khan told CBS News that many people were waiting at the train crossing when the explosion occurred. He said his house "jolted from the explosion" and that there was a "huge bang, very loud." 

"Many people (were) killed on spot due to the intensity of the explosion," Khan said. "Gas cylinders in queuing cars also exploded." 

The Balochistan Liberation Army, a group based in Afghanistan, has claimed responsibility for the attack. The BLA believes Balochistan should be an independent region, and its attacks frequently target civilians, soldiers and police. The U.S. State Department has designated the BLA as foreign terrorist organization. 

Quetta is the capital of the Balochistan province. The oil- and mineral-rich province is the largest but least populated in Pakistan, and is a hub for the country's ethnic Baloch minority. Islamic militants also operate within the province. 

The BLA has taken credit for multiple bloody attacks in the region. In February, coordinated suicide and gun attacks carried out by the group killed 18 civilians and 15 security personnel. A suicide bombing at a train station in the same region killed at least 26 people, including soldiers and railway staff, in 2024.