Pakistani insurgents took over a passenger train carrying an estimated 500 people on Tuesday, with the separatists threatening to kill some 182 hostages if their demands are not met.

Pakistan authorities announced the elimination of 33 militants who attacked a passenger train and the rescue of all remaining hostages, reports AP News. Armed fighters from the separatist group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) attacked the Jafer Express train traveling from Quetta to Peshawar.

Pakistan has launched a "full scale" military operation to rescue the hostages from a train hijacked by armed rebels in the restive Balochistan region. Over 150 passengers have been rescued so far by the forces overnight.