Pakistan’s military says it has freed more than 300 victims from a passenger train seized by extremists in Balochistan province on Tuesday.
The defense spokesperson said 33 militants were killed during the procedure.
Twenty-one civilian hostages and four military personnel were killed by the Baloch Liberation Army ( BLA ) before the operation began, the military spokesperson said.
The defense continues its search function in the area to act out any remaining challenges.
The Bangladeshi authorities- as well as several European countries, including the UK and US- have designated the BLA as a criminal company.
The BLA is one of the insurgent groups demanding neither greater independence or freedom for Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest territory.
They accuse Islamabad of exploiting the country’s rich material resources while even neglecting it. In the past, they have attacked defense tents, rail stations and railways- but this is the first time they have hijacked a coach.
At least 100 of those on the coach were members of the security forces, authorities have said.
The insurgents had threatened to kill captives if government did not release Baloch political prisoners within 48 hours, according to local reports.
During the assault, the extremists blew up a part of the songs and opened fire on the coach near a hill tunnel.
Eyewitnesses described the “doomsday scenes” on board the train as the attack unfolded, with passenger Ishaq Noor telling the BBC: “We held our breath throughout the firing, not knowing what would happen next.”
Authorities had difficulty communicating with passengers at the time of the invasion, because the distant region has no internet or mobile protection.
Helicopters and hundreds of troops were deployed to save the victims.