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Blast in a car near Delhi's Red Fort, 8 dead
The blast occurred in a car near gate number 1 of the Red Fort Metro station, after which three to four vehicles also caught fire.
At least eight people died and several were injured in a powerful explosion that tore through a car parked near the Red Fort Metro Station on Monday evening, setting several other vehicles ablaze, officials said.
The blast, which occurred near Gate No. 1 of the Lal Quila Metro Station, was so intense that it shattered the windows of vehicles parked several metres away and was heard across nearby buildings.
According to the Delhi Fire Services, the explosion triggered fires in three to four vehicles. Seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot as police cordoned off the area and issued a high alert across the city. Track Red Fort car blast live updates
According to the latest information, seven fire tenders have been dispatched to the location after the call was received at 6:55 PM. Delhi Police has restricted Entry and exit of Gate numbers 1 & 4 at Lal Qila. However, Delhi Metro services are running normally throughout the entire network.
According to a senior Delhi police official, the explosion happened in a moving car on the road.
“There is no crater at the spot so cannot say if it is a bomb blast. Also, no pellet/splinter injuries reported till now, which is the most common in bomb blasts. The car, the source of the explosion, had 2-3 occupants. Mangled. Forensic teams are collecting sample,” the official said.
The authorities have sounded a high alert in Delhi after the explosion. Maharashtra, Kolkata, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh have also been put on high alert.
Delhi Police chief Satish Golcha told reporters that he is in touch with the union home minister Amit Shah and is briefing him regularly on the explosion.
"The car in front of me was about two feet away. I don’t know whether there was a bomb in it or something else, but it exploded," an auto driver, who got injured due to the blast, told PTI.
HM Amit Shah also briefed the media and stated that all angles will be thoroughly probed.
“This evening, around 7 PM, a blast occurred in a Hyundai i20 car at the Subhash Marg traffic signal near the Red Fort in Delhi. The blast injured some pedestrians and damaged some vehicles. Preliminary reports indicate that some people have lost their lives. Within 10 minutes of receiving the information about the blast, teams from the Delhi Crime Branch and Delhi Special Branch arrived at the spot. The NSG and NIA teams, along with the FSL, have now begun a thorough investigation. Orders have been given to examine all nearby CCTV cameras,” he said in a press conference..
I have also spoken to the Delhi CP and the Special Branch in charge. The Delhi CP and the Special Branch in charge are present at the spot. We are exploring all possibilities and will conduct a thorough investigation, taking all possibilities into account. All options will be thoroughly investigated, and the results will be presented to the public promptly. I will be heading to the spot shortly and will also visit the hospital immediately," he said.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has issued a high alert across the country, including airports, Delhi Metro, heritage sites, government buildings and other key installations under its security cover
This comes on a day when Jammu and Kashmir police, in coordination with other agencies, busted a terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Eight people, including three doctors, were arrested after the terror module was busted in Faridabad. Three hundred sixty kilograms of explosives and weapons were also found in a house in Dhauj village, rented by one of the doctors.
