Islamabad: At least 31 people were killed during a two-day train siege in southwestern Pakistan carried out by militants, the country's army spokesman said on Friday. Eighteen soldiers and paramilitary personnel, three railway employees, and five civilians were killed during the hostage situation that lasted over 30 hours, lieutenant general Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said during a presser.

Additionally, five soldiers died as "part of the operation" launched by security forces to retake control after Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) separatists stopped the Jaffar Express train with a bomb, Chaudhry added. "There are many injured and the death toll may rise," he said.

Authorities announced on Wednesday evening that "33 terrorists" who participated in the assault were also killed. "More than 340 passengers were freed," Mir Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of Balochistan said during the presser in Islamabad.

Islamabad accuses neighbouring Afghanistan of allowing militant groups safe haven to plan and launch attacks on its soil, a charge Kabul denies. "The militants were in contact with their handlers in Afghanistan," Sharif added.

BLA claims execution of 214 hostages

The separatist BLA, which claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack, released a statement saying its fighters had escaped with 214 hostages and since executed all of them, without giving any evidence to back that up.

Militants took over the Jaffar Express in a remote mountain pass in Balochistan province, blowing up train tracks in the attack then holding passengers hostage in a day-long standoff.

The separatist group released a statement in response to the army, saying it had killed all the hostages in its custody. Pakistani officials have accused the group of making exaggerated claims in the past. "This battle is not over yet but has intensified," the BLA said in its statement.

The BLA is the largest and strongest of several ethnic Baloch insurgent groups which have been fighting for decades to win independence for the mineral-rich province, home to major China-led projects including a port and gold and copper mines.

(With inputs from AFP and Reuters.)