‘Bloodbath’: Railway station bombing in Quetta, Pakistan leaves 26 dead

It was like ‘Judgement Day’, says one victim, after a suicide bomber targeted passengers waiting to board an express train

Quetta, Pakistan — On Saturday morning, Ikhtiar Hussain, a senior ticket inspector for Pakistan Railways arrived at Quetta Railway Station in the country’s Balochistan province at about 8:25am local time (03:25 GMT), ready to board the train to start work.

Seconds later, Hussain heard a powerful explosion and fell to the ground. Shrapnel from the explosion had hit his right cheek, and his face started bleeding.

At least 26 people, including security personnel and civilians, were killed, and dozens were injured after a suicide bomber targeted passengers who were waiting for the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express on Saturday morning.

Hussain, 47, survived — but with wounds on his face and memories that will never fade.

“It was a view of Judgement Day, because in seconds people smiling at the station fell down on the ground in a bloodbath,” Hussain recalled to Al Jazeera from Civil Hospital Quetta, where he is receiving treatment for his wounds.

Pakistani officials have confirmed that it was a suicide attack. Law enforcement agencies are investigating how the attacker managed to get inside the station despite strict security measures at the entry and exit gates.

An outlawed armed secessionist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) (BLA), has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and other senior political leaders have condemned the attack on unarmed passengers and promised to punish the perpetrators.

But for many whose friends and relatives are in critical condition, the government must also answer questions.

Hafiz Allah Ditta, a 32-year-old local mason, had come to the