Balochistan, Pakistan – March 13 — The bodies of at least 25 people, including 21 hostages, killed during a brutal train siege by separatist gunmen in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province were recovered on Thursday, as preparations began for the first funerals, officials confirmed.

The attack began when militants bombed a remote railway track in mountainous southwest Balochistan, derailing a train carrying around 450 passengers. Armed men from the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) then stormed the train, taking hostages in a standoff that lasted nearly two days.

Pakistani security forces launched a rescue operation, freeing more than 340 passengers by Wednesday night. However, the military reported that 21 hostages and four soldiers were killed during the assault and subsequent rescue mission.

A railway official from Balochistan said 25 bodies had been transported by train to the nearby town of Mach. “The deceased include 19 military passengers, one police officer, and one railway official, while four bodies remain unidentified,” the official told AFP, requesting anonymity.

A senior military official overseeing the rescue operation confirmed the toll, though earlier estimates by army sources suggested up to 28 military casualties, including 27 off-duty soldiers taken hostage.

Survivors described harrowing scenes, with some saying they walked for hours through rugged terrain to escape. “They told us to step out one by one. They separated the women and elderly and let them go,” said Muhammad Naveed, one of the passengers who escaped. “When around 185 people had come out, they began selecting and shooting people.”

Babar Masih, a 38-year-old Christian laborer, recounted how his family survived. “Our women pleaded with them and they spared us. They told us to run and not look back. As we ran, I saw others fleeing too,” he told AFP.

The BLA released a video showing the initial explosion on the track, followed by dozens of armed militants emerging from the surrounding hills to ambush the train.

The group, one of several separatist outfits operating in the province, has long accused the central government and foreign companies of exploiting Balochistan’s rich natural resources while neglecting the local population. Violence in the region surged last year, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow over the attack and was expected to visit Balochistan on Thursday. “The Prime Minister expressed grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of security personnel and train passengers during the operation,” his office said in a statement.

Security operations continue in the area as authorities search for remaining suspects and assess the full scale of the attack.