An explosion was reported near the Red Fort in the Indian capital of New Delhi on Monday, in which at least eight people were killed and at least 20 people were injured, local television channels reported.
The exact cause of the blast was being investigated, city police spokesperson Sanjay Tyagi said.
However, India’s financial capital of Mumbai, as well as its most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, which borders Delhi, went on high security alert after the blast, local media reported.
“Eight people have been killed in the explosion,” Tyagi said.
A previous owner of the car, named only as Salman, was arrested after the blast, NDTV reported, without going into more details. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said the blast took place minutes before 7pm (6:30pm PKT).
“A slow-moving vehicle stopped at a red light. An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged,” he told reporters. “The situation is being monitored.”
At least six vehicles and three autorickshaws caught fire, Delhi’s deputy fire chief said, adding that the flames had been doused by firefighting teams.
“We heard a big sound, our windows shook,” one resident, who did not give a name, told NDTV.
“I was at the metro station, going down the stairs, when I heard an explosion. I turned around and saw a fire. People started running helter-skelter,” Suman Mishra, whose husband owns a hotel in a nearby area, told Reuters.
Wali Ur Rehman said he was sitting at his shop when he heard a loud explosion.
“I fell from the impact of the explosion, it was that intense,” he told news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake.
About 30 to 40 ambulances were near the site of the blast and the entire area was cordoned off after the fire was put out, a Reuters witness said, adding that he could see remains of mangled cars and crowds milling around.
Police tried to clear crowds that gathered around the site of the incident.
Visuals on local media showed flames and smoke billowing from more than one vehicle in what was described as a congested street located near a metro station in the old part of Delhi.
Mangled bodies and the wreckage of several cars could be seen on a congested street near a metro station in the old quarter of Delhi, as police poured into the area to secure it and push back gathering crowds.
According to Indian outlet NDTV, the fire brigade was on site, while The Times of India reported that the fire caused by the explosion engulfed three to four other vehicles.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi published a message extending his condolences to the families of those killed in the blast on his X account.
“Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the blast in Delhi earlier this evening,” he wrote. “May the injured recover at the earliest. Those affected are being assisted by authorities.
“Reviewed the situation with Home Minister Amit Shah ji and other officials,” he added.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said that within 10 minutes of the explosion, teams from the Delhi Crime Branch and Special Branch, along with the National Security Guard (NSG) and National Investigation Agency (NIA), arrived on the scene.
“Orders have been given to examine all nearby CCTV cameras. I have also spoken to the Delhi CP and the Special Branch in-charge,” Shah said in a video statement.
“We are exploring all possibilities and will conduct a thorough investigation, taking all possibilities into account,” he said. “All options will be investigated immediately and we will present the results to the public.”
The minister added that he would visit both the incident site and the hospital in the video statement.
Earlier today, Indian media claimed that 2,900 kilogrammes of bomb-making material were seized during a raid in India’s Haryana area.
“Officials confirmed that 360kg of suspected ammonium nitrate, along with 2,900kg of IED (improvised explosive device)-making material, including chemicals, detonators, wires, and other bomb-making components, were seized,” The Times of India claimed in its report, adding that two people were arrested.
The Red Fort, known locally as Lal Qila, is a sprawling, 17th-century Mughal-era edifice melding Persian and Indian architectural styles, and is visited by tourists throughout the year.
The Indian prime minister addresses the nation from the fort’s ramparts every year on August 15, India’s Independence Day.
Delhi targeted in the past
Delhi was the target of blasts during the 1980s and 1990s, with public places such as bus stations and crowded market areas hit in attacks.
About a dozen people were killed in a briefcase explosion outside the Delhi High Court in 2011 — the last such major incident in the city.
Security in the national capital is the responsibility of the federal home ministry. Delhi police report directly to it, though the capital territory also has its own local government.
