27 killed in blast in Pakistan's Quetta railway station

China

27 killed in blast in Pakistan's Quetta railway station

2024-11-09 22:26 Last Updated At：11-10 16:17

The death toll from a blast that hit a railway station in Quetta, a city in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan Province, on Saturday, has risen to 27, according to health and police officials.

Media coordinator for the provincial health ministry of Balochistan, Waseem Baig, stated that the death toll rose after at least five injured individuals succumbed to their injuries during treatment.

The health official said that 62 people were injured in the bomb blast, and dozens have been shifted to a military hospital in the city for better treatment, adding that the death toll might further rise as several among the injured are in critical condition.

The attack occurred at around 08:20 local time (GMT 0320) on Platform No. 1 of the railway station in the provincial capital, where the Jaffar Express was ready to depart, Pakistan Railways said.

Military sources from Quetta reported that a suicide bomber detonated his explosive jacket in a crowd of over 100 people, including soldiers, railway police, and civilian passengers.

The proscribed group Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack through a press release and on social media, stating that the target was a group of soldiers departing for their homes at the railway station.

Following the attack, authorities initiated snap-checks across various parts of the city and deployed additional contingents of police and law enforcement personnel to bolster security.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and instructed the hospital administration to ensure the injured receive the best possible medical treatment.

Departure tax refund services launched at "mini three links" port in Fuzhou

The Langqi passenger terminal in Fuzhou of east China's Fujian Province officially commenced a new departure tax refund initiative for travelers heading on the "mini three links" route on Tuesday, with streamlined measures boosting the efficiency of tax refunds and speeding up customs clearance procedures.

The "mini three links" refers to direct trade, postal and transport services launched in 2001 between Fujian Province and the Taiwan-administered Kinmen and Matsu islands. It serves as a vital, convenient cross-strait passage for personnel exchanges and economic and trade interactions between the Chinese mainland and the Taiwan region.

At the heart of the upgraded service is an optimized procedure dubbed the "one document, one bag, one code" process, a simple and streamlined model designed to shorten clearance time for outbound passengers.

Under this framework, travelers who make purchases at designated pilot tax refund stores can have their qualified goods consolidated into a single sealed bag, with all corresponding tax refund information integrated into a unique QR code printed on the tax refund application form.

When departing via the Langqi passenger terminal, on-site customs officers only need to scan the QR code to retrieve and verify the details relating to the applicant's tax refund application. Travelers can then get quick customs clearance once the information is confirmed to be accurate, with no requirement to open their sealed shopping bags for repeated inspections.