At least eight individuals lost their lives in a car explosion near the historic Red Fort in a densely populated section of New Delhi, as confirmed by a police representative. The cause of the blast, a rare occurrence in the heavily guarded city with over 30 million residents, is currently under investigation, according to Sanjay Tyagi, a police spokesperson. Following the incident, India’s financial hub Mumbai and the populous state of Uttar Pradesh, which shares a border with Delhi, heightened their security measures.
Reports from TV channels indicated that around 20 people sustained injuries in the explosion, prompting a swift response from ambulances rushing to the scene. The aftermath of the explosion revealed mangled bodies and the wreckage of multiple vehicles on a crowded street near a metro station in the old quarter of the city, with police swiftly securing the area.
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha stated that the explosion occurred shortly before 7 p.m. local time, where a slow-moving vehicle, halted at a red light, was the epicenter of the blast, leading to damage to nearby vehicles. Federal and state investigative bodies are on-site, and Home Minister Amit Shah has been briefed on the situation, Golcha confirmed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his sympathies to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured individuals. Modi also shared that he had assessed the situation with Shah and other officials. Later, Delhi’s deputy fire chief reported that at least six vehicles and three auto-rickshaws caught fire, but the flames were successfully extinguished by firefighting teams.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes as the explosion unfolded, with people fleeing the area in panic. A significant presence of ambulances and a cordoned-off zone were observed post-fire containment. The Red Fort, a significant historical site in New Delhi, attracts tourists year-round and serves as the backdrop for the prime minister’s annual Independence Day address on August 15.
While Delhi has faced previous incidents of violence, including bombings in the 1980s and 1990s attributed to Islamist militants or separatists from Punjab, the city witnessed a major explosion outside the High Court in 2011, resulting in casualties.