Today's Edition
Islamabad (dpa)
Gunmen fired at a train in south-western Pakistan on Tuesday, killing the driver and taking hundreds of passengers hostage, as authorities declared an emergency in the region amid preparations for a response operation, officials said.
The train was heading to the city of Peshawar from Quetta in the province of Balochistan that borders both Iran and Afghanistan, provincial government spokesman Shahid Rind said.
"It looks a terrorism attack, but we still don't know the exact situation," Rind said in a statement.
Officials told dpa that helicopters, gunships and reinforcements were being sent to the area and preparations were under way for an operation.
The train left the city of Quetta in the morning and was intercepted by gunmen around noon (0700 GMT) in the district of Sibbi, said Mohamed Sharif, an official for Pakistan's railways.
It was not known who was travelling on the train, but militants have in the past targeted with bombs trains and buses with members of the security forces onboard.
