Originally published on April 8, 2014

At least 17 people died and 40 others were injured after a bomb went off on a Pakistani express train on April 8.

The bomb, placed in a carriage reserved for men, went off as the train stopped and passengers were disembarking at Sibi railway station around 160 kilometres south of its destination Quetta, local newspaper Daily News reported.

After the explosion, three carriages caught fire, which caused the majority of deaths.

"We have recovered 12 dead bodies from the train," senior police official Mohammad Nazar, who was at the scene told AFP. "They have been burnt to charcoal."

One of the injured died after being taken to a military hospital in the same town, Nazar said.

The United Baloch Army (UBA), one of several armed separatist groups in Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying it was in retaliation for raids by security forces that killed an alleged 40 insurgents, though the toll could not be independently verified, Daily News reported.

UBA spokesman Mureed Baloch warned people not to travel on trains as the group will continue attacks in future.

The Jaffar Express train, is a daily service covering the almost 1,460 kilometer journey from Rawalpindi to Quetta.