At least 23 people were killed and about 70 others wounded in a major attack Sunday morning after a suicide bomber targeted a passenger train in Pakistan, according to The Associated Press (AP).

The assault — in Quetta, the capital of southwestern Balochistan province — occurred when an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near a railway line as a passenger train passed, causing two train cars to overturn and catch fire. The region has long been the site of a low-level but persistent insurgency involving separatist and militant groups.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a militant separatist group fighting for the province’s secession from Pakistan, reportedly claimed responsibility, saying it was targeting a train carrying security personnel.

The Times of India reported that the train was carrying army personnel and family members traveling from Quetta to Peshawar for the Eid holidays; AP reported more generally that the BLA said it targeted a train carrying security personnel. The area is also known for having a strong security presence.

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The blast reportedly sent shockwaves through the area.

According to witness accounts and images circulating on social media, the force of the explosion caused two train cars to overturn and burst into flames, sending thick black smoke into the sky, The AP said. Nearby buildings were also heavily damaged, and more than a dozen parked vehicles were impacted, the outlet added.

Several victims were reportedly transported to local hospitals. Among the wounded, about 20 were reported to be in critical condition, according to doctors cited by The AP.

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A volunteer assists a survivor scaling the side of a severely damaged, overturned train car after a reported militant attack struck a rail line in Quetta, Pakistan, on May 24, 2026. (Arshad Butt/AP Photo)

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, calling it a «cowardly act of terrorism» and saying that those responsible would be brought to justice.

«I strongly condemn the heinous bomb explosion near Chaman Phatak, Quetta, which has resulted in the tragic loss of innocent lives and left many others injured. Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan. We remain steadfast in our determination to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,» he said.

«I express my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and pray for the swift recovery of the injured. The entire nation stands in solidarity with the people of Balochistan in this hour of grief.»

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Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti alleged that the group is supported by Indian-sponsored proxies aimed at destabilizing Pakistan. The two countries have long been locked in a bitter dispute over territorial claims in Kashmir, though India has consistently denied such accusations.

«The terrorists of Fitna Al-Hindustan are proving their savagery by targeting innocent civilians, women, and children,» Bugti said, describing the group as «evil originating from India.»

Bystanders attend to victims on a railway track following reports of a deadly suicide vehicle bombing targeting a passenger train in Quetta, Pakistan, on May 24, 2026. (Arshad Butt/AP Photo)

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«Those who shed the blood of innocent people deserve no leniency. Let the enemy hear this: there will be no safe haven left for terrorists in Balochistan. We will hunt down the terrorists, their facilitators, and their masterminds one by one and bring them to justice, and this war will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated.»

The BLA has increasingly carried out large-scale suicide operations targeting Pakistani security forces and infrastructure in Quetta, according to The Times of India.

In 2024, at least 26 people, including soldiers, were killed in a suicide bombing at a train station in Balochistan.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

California city leaders are escalating opposition to the state’s high-speed rail project amid fears the Golden State could tap local taxpayer funds to prop up the troubled rail system after nearly two decades of delays. 

«This proposal in the 2026 Draft Business Plan is fiscally reckless, legally vulnerable, and fundamentally unfair to the communities expected to host High-Speed Rail facilities. It would weaken local governments, destabilize public services, and undermine constitutional protections that California voters have repeatedly affirmed. Simply put: the state cannot solve a state funding problem by raiding local tax bases,» wrote Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer along with nine other mayors in the letter obtained by Fox News Digital. 

The mayors penned the April letter to the CEO of the High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA), slamming a tax and planning proposal to help bankroll the railroad that has been in the works since 2008. 

The mayors urged the state to pursue voter-approved bonds or dedicated state revenue sources instead of «attempting to divert local tax growth through a legally dubious scheme.»

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The suggested plan first appeared in the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s 2026 Draft Business Plan. The plan outlined a full Phase 1 buildout of the line was re-estimated to cost $231.3 billion, while the Authority’s optimized approach puts the initial Phase 1 investment at about $126.2 billion.

The proposed funding for the high-speed rail would not create a new tax, but redirect tax revenues near future High Speed Rail stations to the project, local outlet the Fresno Bee reported. 

A California High-Speed Rail Authority spokesperson pushed back on the mayors’ characterization, saying there is no finalized plan to capture local revenues.

«There is no proposal. Through the 2026 Draft Business Plan, the Authority is continuing conversations with local jurisdictions and stakeholders about potential tools that could support station-area infrastructure and long-term system delivery,» said a California High-Speed Rail Authority spokesperson.

President Donald Trump and other administration officials have repeatedly called out Newsom and other California leaders for the time and money that has been spent on the project since it was approved in 2008 with an initial $33 billion price tag, before ballooning to more than $200 billion in expected costs. 

«A little train going from San Francisco to Los Angeles that’s being run by Gavin New-scum — the governor of California,» Trump said on May 6. «Did you ever hear of Gavin Newsom? He has got that train—the worst cost overrun I’ve ever seen. It’s like, totally out of control.»

The railroad project was approved in 2008 with an initial $33 billion price tag. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)

«It is not constitutionally allowable in California for the state of California to come in and take those sales tax dollars for any other purpose than what they’re intended for, and that’s to support local government,» said Dyer.

He added that mayors have been left in the dark, having not met with HSRA officials, been left out of conversations and remained unsure of what the tax would be.

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The nine other mayors who signed the letter represent the cities of Anaheim, Lancaster, Riverside, Bakersfield, Gilroy, Merced, Burbank, Hanford and Stockton.

Mayors called the plan to cherry-pick tax dollars as «legally dubious scheme» and «sets a dangerous statewide precedent.»

Lawmakers and local officials have slammed the project for failing to show deliverables and seemingly wasting taxpayer funds, while project leaders insist it will be completed.

«California’s high-speed rail has become a slow-moving train wreck — a case study in government waste and mismanagement, with billions spent, deadlines blown, and still nothing to show for it,» Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., wrote on X in April. «No finished track. No trains. Just broken promises. Years later, taxpayers are still footing the bill.»

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While at a conference in Washington, D.C., HSRA CEO Ian Choudri said the high-speed railway will be finished «in our lifetime,» SFGate reported.

The Department of Transportation canceled billions of dollars in federal grants for the project in the summer of 2025.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the HSRA, office of Gov. Newsom and Mayor Dyer for comment.

En reclamo por las torturas que aseguran recibir, centenares de presos iniciaron un motín en el Internado Judicial de Barinas (INJUBA), el estado venezolano donde nació el expresidente Hugo Chavez, a 500 kilómetros de Caracas. La protesta es protagonizada por unos 1200 hombres y más de 100 mujeres que pasan sus días en esa institución ubicada al sudoeste del país.

El Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones (OVP), un organismo civil que monitorea la situación de las cárceles locales, informó la situación y en sus redes sociales difundió una serie de videos en los que se muestra cómo se desarrolla el conflicto.

En las imágenes se ve a los internos con la cara tapada con remeras mientras protestan sobre los techos del centro penitenciario y queman colchonetas. En ese contexto, se ve una intensa nube de humo negro que se levanta en la zona, desde atrás de los muros y alambrados que rodean al edificio.

También se aprecian una gran cantidad de objetos rotos, esparcidos sobre el piso en medio del caos generalizado. También se puede escuchar que los protagonistas de la escena aseguran que se trata de una “huelga pacífica”.

En tanto, la agencia AFP reportó que los reclusos se agruparon en el techo de la cárcel y colgaron pancartas con mensajes para pedir ayuda. En algunas se podía leer «SOS», «Nos torturan» o «No más tortura». Varios presos tenían el rostro cubierto.

“Mientras en las afueras del penal los familiares se encuentran angustiados porque no les dan información, solo observan como llegan gran cantidad de militares y funcionarios de diversos cuerpos de seguridad al penal”, escribieron desde el Observatorio en un comunicado.

De acuerdo con el OVP, recibieron denuncias que indican que “al menos 120 prisioneros están castigados en una celda de aislamiento”. Los avisos se suman a una serie de alertas anteriores, entre los que mencionaron “traslados inconsultos y aislamiento prolongado”.

En este contexto, la organización pidió a las autoridades judiciales y a los organismos competentes que “adopten medidas para garantizar la vida y los derechos de los prisioneros”.

Invocando los artículos 46, 68 y 337 de la Constitución, los internos exigen la destitución inmediata del Ministro de Servicios Penitenciario Julio García Zerpa, yde Elvis Macuare Guerrero, director de INJUBA, a quienes señalan por presunta corrupción y maltratos.

Los privados… pic.twitter.com/pOPP1QyurO

— Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones (@oveprisiones) May 25, 2026

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“Vemos cómo el Ministerio de Servicio Penitenciario ignora a los internos, quienes tienen más de una semana denunciando los maltratos, no los escuchan, todo lo contrario les disparan y los ponen a tragar gas. ¿Donde están las autoridades de la Defensoría e incluso los jueces de ejecución?, su trabajo es ir a la cárcel, estar al lado del privado de libertad y cumplan su misión de velar por el respeto de los derechos humanos de la población reclusa”, agregaron

En tanto, hasta el momento las autoridades del gobierno de Delcy Rodríguez no se pronunciaron sobre el registro fílmico de la manifestación, donde en el exterior del complejo penitenciario aparecen integrantes de las fuerzas de seguridad y familiares de los presos.

La protesta de este domingo va en línea con las denuncias que activistas de derechos humanos hicieron en varias oportunidades por las “condiciones de hacinamiento, el precario suministro de alimentos y falta de atención médica en las cárceles venezolanas”, así como por los retrasos procesales.

En medio de la tensión y la preocupación, la madre de uno de los reclusos contó que desde el 8 de mayo no tiene noticias de su hijo. La mujer describió los maltratos y torturas que, según mencionó, recibe el joven.

«Me lo tienen encerrado, golpeado (…) están sufriendo, porque los están golpeando demasiado feo, torturados, les echan agua fría, les meten corriente, les meten candela, los maltratan demasiado, queremos la destitución del director», declaró a AFP.

En el mismo sentido, consigna el sitio de noticias El Pitazo, familiares denunciaron que desde hace casi un mes no se permite el acceso de alimentos, agua potable, medicamentos. Esa situación, aparentemente, habría aumentado el conflicto entre los alijados en los distintos pabellones del centro penitenciario.

“Nos está dejando una sola camisa, un solo mono y un solo shorts. Un solo tubo de agua por privado”, afirmó un presidiario en uno de los videos que está circulando en el mundo virtual.