“346 hostages were freed and over 30 terrorists were killed during the operation,” the army official told the Agence France-Presse news agency on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

More than 340 train passengers taken hostage by a militant group were freed by security forces after a 30-hour siege. Source: EPA / Fayyaz Ahmed

The Baloch Liberation Army, which claimed the attack, said it had killed 50 passengers on Wednesday evening. It had said on Tuesday that it was holding 214 people, mostly security personnel.

Baloch militant groups say they have been fighting for a larger share in the regional wealth of mines and minerals denied by the central government.

Soldiers and police were deployed at a railway station near southwest Balochistan where a train was hijacked. Source: AP / AP

Militants in suicide vests

“We lay on the floor once heavy firing started. Shortly after, armed men entered the train and checked our identities,” he said in Quetta.