A car explosion just outside Delhi’s historic Red Fort on Monday evening has killed at least eight people and injured around 20, authorities said.
The blast happened shortly before 19:00 local time (13:30 GMT) near the Red Fort metro station in the Old Delhi area. Delhi police commissioner Satish Golcha said a slow-moving car had stopped at a red light when an explosion tore through the vehicle and damaged nearby cars.
Dozens of fire engines and ambulances were dispatched to the scene. The fire service said about 19 people were injured and taken to a government hospital. Television footage and on-the-ground reports showed a vehicle with its doors blown off, charred wreckage and panicked crowds.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes. Om Prakash Gupta said he heard a loud blast, rushed out with his children and saw vehicles on fire and human remains on the road. A cab driver identifying himself as Shahrukh said he ran from the area. Another witness told NDTV the blast’s shock wave rattled nearby buildings.
Authorities have detained the car’s registered owner for questioning as part of an ongoing probe, officials said. Home affairs minister Amit Shah cautioned that the cause would be difficult to determine until forensic samples from the site are analysed, and he said investigators were not ruling out any angles.
Commissioner Golcha confirmed the confirmed toll of at least eight dead and said the situation remained under close watch while investigations continued. Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X that he was reviewing the situation with Amit Shah, offered condolences to the families of the victims and said officials were assisting those affected.
The Red Fort, or Lal Qila, is a 17th-century Mughal palace in densely packed Old Delhi and is one of India’s most important monuments. It is the site of the prime minister’s annual Independence Day address and is featured on Indian currency notes.
Delhi has seen deadly blasts in past decades, notably in the 1980s and 1990s, and a briefcase explosion outside the Delhi high court in 2011 that killed about a dozen people. Security in the national capital falls under the federal home ministry, to which Delhi police report. Investigators continue to examine the scene and gather evidence to establish what caused Monday’s explosion.
