Militants take 450 train passengers hostage in Pakistan

Militants from the extremist group Balochistan Liberation Army have taken 450 passengers hostage on a train in Pakistan, a senior official of the Balochistan railway department, Muhammad Kashif, told Agence France-Presse.

"More than 450 passengers on board the train are being held hostage by the militants," the agency quoted him as saying.

According to Geo TV, the extremists blew up the railway tracks and then opened fire on the train. The train driver was wounded.

An intense shootout occurred between the train security personnel and the militants during the attack.