A suicide car bomb attack on a train carrying soldiers in Quetta, the capital of the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan, has killed at least 24 people and wounded more than 50 others.

The Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist group, has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack.

Reporting from the scene, Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder said several houses and buildings adjacent to the railway line were severely damaged. The blast caused some train carriages to overturn and catch fire.

According to local media reports, a state of emergency was declared at public hospitals in Quetta, with doctors and other medical staff ordered to remain on duty.

Footage shared online showed charred vehicles and train carriages lying on their sides, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the sky.

Hyder said Pakistan has experienced several attacks by separatist groups in recent months. The attacks have increased in ferocity and have also targeted Chinese workers due to opposition to Beijing’s infrastructure projects in Balochistan, he added. Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, China’s Xinjiang region has been connected to Pakistan’s Gwadar port.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned the attack in a post on X.

“Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan. We remain steadfast in our determination to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said.

[Aljazeera]

The National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has issued landslide early warnings to the Districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura effective from 1700 hrs today [24th May 2026] to 1700 hrs on Monday [25th May 2026].

Accordingly,
LEVEL II [AMBER] landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Dehiowita, Deraniyagala, Ruwanwella and Yatiyanthota in the Kegalle district and Kuruwita, Ratnapura, Ayagama and Eheliyagoda in the Ratnapura district.

LEVEL I [YELLOW]  landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Seethawaka and Padukka in the Colombo district, Attanagalla in the Gampaha district, Palindanuwara, Mathugama, Bulathsinhala, Agalawatta, Ingiriya and Horana in the Kalutara district, Bulathkohupitiya in the Kegalle district, Ambagamuwa in the Nuwara Eliya district and Kiriella, Pelmadulla, Nivithigala, Elapatha and Kalawana in the Ratnapura district.

A person has been shot and killed after they opened fire outside the White House, the US Secret Service has confirmed.

Here is their statement in full:

Shortly after 6 p.m Saturday an individual in the area on 17th street and Pennsylvania Avenue pulled a weapon from his bag and began firing.

Secret Service police returned fire striking the suspect who was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased. During the shooting one bystander was also struck by gunfire.

No injuries were sustained by officers. The President was in the White House during the incident, however no protectees or operations were impacted.

This incident remains under investigation and additional information will be released as it becomes available.

The deceased suspect in the shooting outside the White House has been identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, a person familiar with the investigation has told BBC’s US media partner CBS.

The source said that the suspect had already been arrested by the US Secret Service in July 2025 after he tried to gain entry to the White House, and he was sent to a psychiatric ward for mental health issues in the aftermath.

(BBC)