A car explosion outside the historic Red Fort in Delhi has killed at least eight people and started a fire in the surrounding area, police said.
The blast occurred just before 7pm local time (1330 GMT) on Monday. Authorities are investigating the cause; the registered owner of the car has reportedly been detained for questioning. The fire service said about 19 people were injured and taken to a government hospital. Delhi police commissioner Satish Golcha said a slow-moving car had stopped at a red light just outside the Red Fort metro station when an explosion occurred, damaging nearby vehicles.
Dozens of fire engines and ambulances rushed to the scene. Television footage showed a car with its doors blown off, charred vehicles and panicked crowds. Witness Om Prakash Gupta said he heard a loud blast, rushed out with his children and saw vehicles on fire and body parts on the road. A cab driver who gave his name as Shahrukh described running from the scene. Another witness told NDTV the shock wave had rattled nearby buildings.
Golcha confirmed at least eight dead and about 20 injured, saying the situation was being monitored and the investigation was ongoing. Home affairs minister Amit Shah said it was difficult to determine the cause until samples from the scene are analysed and that no angle was being ruled out. Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X that he was reviewing the situation with Shah, offered condolences and said authorities were assisting those affected.
The Red Fort (Lal Qila), in the densely crowded Old Delhi area, is a 17th-century Mughal palace and one of India’s most significant monuments; it is the site of the prime minister’s annual Independence Day address and appears on currency notes. Delhi has previously been targeted by blasts in the 1980s and 1990s, and a briefcase explosion outside the Delhi high court in 2011 killed about a dozen people. Security in the national capital falls under the federal home ministry, to which Delhi police report.
