An explosion was reported near the Red Fort in the Indian capital of New Delhi , in which at least eight people were killed and at least 20 people were injured.
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.
NDTV reported that the owner of the car involved in the explosion was arrested.
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.
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.
“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 , 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.
