At least 17 people have died in a powerful bomb blast at a train station in Quetta, southwestern Pakistan, officials said.

Another 30 were wounded in the explosion that tore through the station in the early hours of Saturday.

“The blast took place inside the railway station when the Peshawar-bound express was about to leave for its destination,” said Muhammad Baloch, the senior superintendent of police operations.

Quetta is the capital of the restive Balochistanprovince, which has seen a growing threat in recent months from local militant groups.

Preliminary visuals of the aftermath of the explosion showed the platform littered with passengers’ luggage.

Mr Baloch said the attack “seems to be a suicide blast” but it was too early to say for sure. Around 100 people were present at the station at the time of the attack, Mr Baloch said, citing footage of the incident.

The death toll is likely to rise as some of the wounded passengers are in critical condition, said Shahid Ring, a government spokesperson.

An investigation has been launched into the incident to ascertain the nature of the blast, he said, according to the daily newspaper Dawn.

The Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist group that operates in the region, has claimed responsibility for the attack and said a suicide bomber targeted troops present at the railway station. Police officials said they are investigating the claim.

If confirmed, it would be the second deadly attack by BLA militants in a little over a month in Pakistan.

On 7 October, at least two Chinese nationals were killed after BLA militants carried out a bomb attack near the international airport in Karachi. The attack took place just a week before a high-level summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), raising security concerns for the meeting of world leaders.

BLA militants have repeatedly targeted security forces and foreigners, especially Chinese nationals who are in Pakistan as part of Beijing’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, which includes the construction of major infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

The militant group sees the presence of foreign workers as a threat to local resources and its grip on the restive southwestern region.

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