27 killed in blast in Pakistan's Quetta railway station

The death toll from a blast that hit a railway station in Quetta, a city in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan Province, on Saturday, has risen to 27, according to health and police officials.

Media coordinator for the provincial health ministry of Balochistan, Waseem Baig, stated that the death toll rose after at least five injured individuals succumbed to their injuries during treatment.

The health official said that 62 people were injured in the bomb blast, and dozens have been shifted to a military hospital in the city for better treatment, adding that the death toll might further rise as several among the injured are in critical condition.

The attack occurred at around 08:20 local time (GMT 0320) on Platform No. 1 of the railway station in the provincial capital, where the Jaffar Express was ready to depart, Pakistan Railways said.

Military sources from Quetta reported that a suicide bomber detonated his explosive jacket in a crowd of over 100 people, including soldiers, railway police, and civilian passengers.

The proscribed group Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack through a press release and on social media, stating that the target was a group of soldiers departing for their homes at the railway station.

Following the attack, authorities initiated snap-checks across various parts of the city and deployed additional contingents of police and law enforcement personnel to bolster security.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and instructed the hospital administration to ensure the injured receive the best possible medical treatment.

27 killed in blast in Pakistan's Quetta railway station

27 killed in blast in Pakistan's Quetta railway station

Li Ganjie, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), met with a visiting delegation of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia, led by Russian presidential aide Dmitry Mironov, in Beijing on Tuesday.

Li, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee's Organization Department, noted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Russia.

China is ready to work with Russia to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, further deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, including work on cadres, and make greater contributions to consolidating China-Russia friendship from generation to generation, Li said.

Mironov expressed a willingness to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in various fields and continuously promote the sustained and high-level development of Russia-China relations in the new era.

After the meeting, the two sides signed a memorandum on cooperation

Senior CPC official meets Russian presidential executive office delegation