KARACHI, Pakistan

At least one person was killed in an explosion on a railway track in southwestern Pakistan on Thursday, police and local media reported.

The blast, which took place in the remote Dera Murad Jamali district of the southwestern Balochistan province, killed a railway worker and partially damaged the track.

The explosion went off shortly after an empty engine passed ahead of the Quetta-bound Jaffar Express, which has been targeted several times by suspected militants in recent years.

In March, militants loyal to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) blew up a railway track and hijacked the Jaffar Express with 440 passengers on board, in the remote Bolan region of the Balochistan province, killing at least 30 people.

Footage on local broadcaster Dawn News showed security forces cordoning off the area following the explosion.

The mineral-rich province has long been beset with violence, with ethnic Baloch separatists targeting security forces.