QUETTA, Pakistan — A suicide bomber blew himself up at a train station in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 26 people, including soldiers and railway staff, and wounding about 62 others, some critically, according to officials.

The attack occurred when nearly 100 passengers were waiting for a train to travel to Rawalpindi from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. Hamza Shafqaat, a senior government official, confirmed the incident.

When asked about a potential security breach that led to the bombing, Shafqaat stated, “It is usually very difficult to stop such suicide attacks.” However, Shahid Nawaz, responsible for security at Quetta’s train station, maintained that there was no breach, as the attacker was disguised as a passenger and detonated the bomb among people at the station.

TV footage showed the platform’s steel roof structure blown apart, a destroyed tea stall, and luggage scattered across the area. Most of the victims were taken to a state-run hospital, while some were transported to a military hospital.

Wasim Baig, a spokesman for the health department and police, confirmed that over a dozen soldiers and six railway employees were among the dead. Despite the installation of a walk-through gate at the station to check for explosives, multiple other entrances remain without such security measures.

Senior police officer Muhammad Baloch said separatists often target soft targets and retaliate when their members are arrested. “We are resilient. Our teams are here and trying to save as many lives as we can,” he added.

Some critically wounded passengers later died in the hospital, raising the death toll.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the bombing, vowing that those responsible would "pay a very heavy price" and that security forces were determined to eliminate "the menace of terrorism."

Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry and the Russian Embassy in Islamabad also condemned the attack, expressing condolences to the victims' families.

Saturday's assault came just over a week after a bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded near a vehicle carrying police officers protecting polio workers in Balochistan, killing nine people, including five children. — Agencies