Hundreds held on hijacked train in Pakistan as Balochistan Liberation Army terrorists battle troops

Quetta, Pakistan — Pakistani security forces were battling hundreds of separatist militants holding roughly 300 hostages Wednesday on a train they hijacked in the country's remote southwest, officials said. At least 30 of the militants had been killed, security officials said, while about 190 of the roughly 450 passengers initially on the train had been rescued.

Militants wearing vests loaded with explosives surrounded the remaining 250 or so hostages after the attack on the train, which happened as it entered a tunnel Tuesday in Bolan, a district in the restive Balochistan province.

The Baloch Liberation Army, a U.S. and Pakistani-designated terrorist organization that has waged a yearslong insurgency in Pakistan, has claimed responsibility for the attack. Spokesman Jeeyand Baloch said the group was ready to free passengers if authorities agree to release jailed militants.