By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - At least seven persons were injured after a powerful explosion derailed a cargo train in southwest Pakistan on Sunday, officials and local media reported.
The explosion occurred along a railway track in Quetta, the capital of southwestern Balochistan province, which targeted the train headed to the city's cantonment area, according to 24 News.
Heavy gunfire was also heard after the explosion.
A spokesman with the Civil Hospital Quetta said the seven people who were injured were taken to a health facility, where an emergency has been declared.
Babar Yousafzai, a special assistant for the provincial home department, told reporters that security forces and rescue teams rushed to the site as police were trying to ascertain the nature of the blast.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility.
Balochistan, a mineral-rich region and a key route for the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, has long been plagued by militancy, with separatist groups seeking the 'liberation' of the province.