Main rail link to Quetta blown up

Published February 8, 2005

QUETTA, Feb 7: Saboteurs blew up a portion of the railway track linking Quetta with the rest of the country late on Monday night.

Railway sources said criminals had planted a bomb under the main railway line between Sibi and Jacobabad. All Quetta-bound trains coming from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi were stopped at the Jacobabad railway station after the blast.

The sources said the miscreants had planted the bomb in the Allahabad area of Damboli. It went off at 11:30pm and damaged the track.

"Around three-foot-long railway line was blown up, suspending all railway traffic on the main line," officials said and added that the railways had sent engineers and other staff from Sukkur to repair the damaged railway line.

Pilot engine and staff also left for the spot from Sibi while the Rawalpindi-bound Zarghoon Express was stopped at Sibi station till the resumption of railway traffic.

"Repair work would be completed by morning and the railway traffic would be restored," sources said.

Levies officials informed the Railways authorities that three more explosions had been heard in the area. However, it could not be confirmed till filing of this report.

According to another report, four rockets were fired in the Nushki area of Chagai district late on Monday night.

Sources said rockets, fired from mountains, landed in the open and exploded with a big bang. However, no loss of life and property was reported. Two blasts were also reported from the Kalat township late night, causing great panic in the small town.

Earlier, the city was rocked late on Monday night when miscreants exploded a powerful bomb to blow up Quetta-Chaman railway track near Killi Alamo.

According to police sources, some unknown people planted a bomb at the railway track linking Quetta with border town Chaman, resulting in damage to railway slippers.

"The railway line remained safe of destruction," railway police officials said.

The miscreants used local made device with timer for explosion, said Haji Mukhtar, head of bomb disposal squad.

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