A DEADLY firefight broke out between separatist militants and security forces in Pakistan after 300 people were held hostage on a hijacked train.
At least 27 militants have been killed after gunmen wearing bomb vests stormed the train.
A shocking video showed the moment a group horrifically ambushed the train while passing through a tunnel in the rugged Bolan district.
Terrified passengers were taken hostage and surrounded by men wearing vests covered in explosives.
450 people were travelling from Quetta to Peshawar before they were taken hostage on Tuesday.
The Baloch Liberation Army group claimed responsibility for the shocking attack.
Pakistani security forces engaged in a deadly battle – which has killed at least 27 militants – to rescue more than 150 people so far.
The group said it was ready to free passengers if authorities agree to release jailed militants.
Previously, the Pakistani government has turned down similar requests, and a representative mentioned that helicopters were arriving to support the troops in the hilly region.
During the attack, the train was partly positioned inside a tunnel. The militants detonated the tracks, causing the engine and its nine carriages to come to a halt, as per Shahid Rind, the government spokesperson.
The driver was critically wounded by gunfire and guards aboard the train were attacked.
Rind added: “This is an act of terrorism.”
Rescued passengers on board the doomed Jaffar Express train were rushed to hospital or pictured at nearby stations.
The BLA warned there would be “severe consequences” if an attempt was made to rescue passengers.
It warned that the hostages and some captured members of the security forces were being guarded by suicide bombers.
A traumatised traveller, Ishaq Noor, described his horror ordeal, according to the BBC.
Noor, who was with his wife and two children, said they desperately attempted to shield their kids from the blast.
He said: “If a bullet comes our way, it will hit us and not the children.”
Noor added: “We held our breath throughout the firing, not knowing what would happen next.”
Muhammad Ashraf was part of a group that was able to get off the train on Tuesday night.
He said: “There was a lot of fear among the passengers. It was a scene of doomsday.”
The BLA frequently focuses on Pakistani security personnel. However, they have previously carried out assaults on civilians as well, particularly targeting Chinese workers involved in large-scale projects.
China condemned the attack and foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said her country “will continue to firmly support Pakistan in advancing its counter-terrorism efforts”.
The Balochistan region, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long suffered from militant insurgencies.
Trains in the area typically have security personnel on board as members of the military often use trains to travel from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, to other parts of the country.
Militants have attacked trains in the past but have never managed to hijack one.
In November, The BLA carried out a suicide bombing at a train station in Quetta that killed 26 people.
