On March 11, family members anxiously gathered at the railway station in Quetta, awaiting news about their loved ones who were on a train targeted in southwestern Pakistan. Separatist militants took 35 passengers hostage, while local police reported that nearly 350 other passengers were believed to be safe. Some hostages were released by the gunmen and escorted by security forces to the railway station in Mach, though Reuters was unable to verify their identities. The Jaffar Express, traveling from Quetta to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was attacked while en route.