Over 24 hours after the Jaffar Express was hijacked near Sibi in Balochistan, a clearance operation to rescue the abducted passengers is still underway.

According to security officials, a total of 190 passengers have been recovered from the train so far. On the other hand, a total of 30 terrorists have been eliminated.

According to Khorasan Diary, an Islamabad-based think tank and digital media outlet covering security and conflict, there are 200 hostages being held by the attackers in five different groups.

While the Baloch Liberation Army had claimed responsibility immediately after the attack and called for release of its prisoners within 48 hours, no list of prisoners has been put forward by the group so far.

Reports had emerged about 200 coffins being sent to the site of the attack. However, The Khorasan Diary said this was based on ‘impact assessment of the worst case scenario’ and not actual casualty figures. A total of 11 deaths have been reported so far.

The train was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar and was carrying 426 passengers. The train was attacked near Mashkaf Tunnel in Bolan.

Earlier reports had indicated that terrorists included suicide bombers who were in close proximity to the passengers and were using them as human shields.

The presence of suicide bombers has forced security forces to be more cautious in their approach. The rescue operation has already been hampered by the difficulty of the terrain and remoteness of the location. The lack of communication access has also posed hurdles in independent verification of claims of deaths and hostages.