Passengers who were held hostage by separatist militants on a hijacked train in a southwestern province of Pakistan have shared their "terrifying" experience. The passengers taken hostage were freed on Wednesday (Mar 12) by security forces after a 30-hour siege. 

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Twenty-one civilians have been killed and four Frontier Corps personnel also lost their lives during the operation, a Pakistan Military spokesperson said, adding that all 33 Baloch militants were eliminated. 

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The Jaffar Express train was attacked and taken hostage at Bolan Pass in Balochistan on Tuesday, with separatist militants bombing part of a railway track and storming the train with more than 450 passengers on board. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) later claimed responsibility. 

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Muhammad Tanveer, a rescued passenger told the news agency Reuters, "First, shells were fired at our train. Then, they started shooting. The firing continued for about three hours. After that, they forced us off the train and made us separate by caste - Saraiki, Punjabi, Balochi, Pathan. They tortured the Punjabis the most." 

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"The situation was terrible. We didn't eat anything for two days. Our last meal was at sunrise (the closing of the fast in Ramadan), and after that, we survived only on water. We even had to drink water from the train's washroom. Then, last night, our army arrived. By evening, they had cleared everything. They gave us protection, served us food and water, and took care of the situation," Tanveer added. 

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Tanveer revealed that he, with his team, was returning home from Afghanistan, so they came through the Quetta-Chaman border because the Torkham border was closed. 

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Arslan Yousaf, another rescued passenger, said, "As soon as the explosion happened, armed men stormed the train. They had launchers, guns, and other weapons, and they immediately started firing - shooting directly at people. They kept shouting, 'We will kill anyone who doesn't come out'." 

"They began checking everyone's ID cards - Punjabis, Sindhis, Baloch. They separated us into groups. Sometimes, they took soldiers outside and executed them. Other times, they targeted specific individuals. If they had a grudge against someone, they shot him on the spot," Arslan added. 

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'No civilians killed in final stage of the operation'

A military spokesperson said no civilians were killed in the final stage of the operation and they had freed "a large number of people". The military reported 21 hostages and four security personnel killed.

Government officials had said on Wednesday that 190 of those on board had already been rescued, with more than 50 taken to Quetta to be reunited with their families. 

(With inputs from agencies)