(REUTERS)

A bomb blast hit a shuttle train ​in the southwestern province of Balochistan on Sunday, killing at least 24 people and injuring 70.

The shuttle train was carrying passengers from Quetta to connect with ​the Jaffar Express long-distance train when the blast struck near a railway track in the provincial capital, Pakistan's railways ministry said in a statement.

The explosion derailed the engine and three coaches, while two coaches overturned, the ministry said, adding that security forces had cordoned off the area and rescue operations were under ‌way.

A security official said an explosives-laden ​vehicle hit one of the train’s bogies in a residential area, and that some of those killed were residents of a nearby apartment building.

Images from the scene showed burnt-out vehicles, damaged residential buildings, twisted metal and ​debris scattered near the railway track, with ‌smoke ⁠rising from the ‌wreckage.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned what he ‌called a "heinous bomb explosion" in a post on social media website X. He expressed condolences for the victims' families ⁠and said the nation stood with the people of Balochistan.