An explosion near Gate 1 of Delhi’s Red Fort metro station has left at least eight dead and multiple injuries.
The Delhi Fire Department said it received a call regarding an explosion in a passenger car near the Red Fort Metro station in the national capital, after which three to four vehicles caught fire there.
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Five fire engines went to the scene.
15 people injured in the blast were rushed to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital, but eight of them died on the way, as reported by ANI.
A high alert was sounded in Delhi after this incident.
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha says, “A slow moving vehicle stopped at red light today at around 6:52 pm. There was an explosion in this vehicle and due to the explosion, the surrounding vehicles were also damaged. All agencies, FSL, NIA are here… Some people have died and some have been injured in the incident. The situation is being monitored. The home minister is also in touch with him.”
A local businessman told ANI, “I fell three times because of the blast. It felt like we all died.”
An injured eyewitness, who suffered a blow to the head, told PTI that the blast appeared to have come from a car, which was believed to be a Swift.
“There was a Swift car in front of my car. There was something in that car that suddenly exploded,” he told the publication.
Another witness told PTI, “I was at the gurdwara when I heard a loud sound. We couldn’t make out what it was, it was so loud.”
“Several vehicles in the area were completely damaged,” he added.
Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal responded to the situation by saying that “negligence regarding Delhi’s security cannot be tolerated”. He also called for an investigation to find out if there was some larger conspiracy behind it.
This incident took place after the arrest of eight terrorists from Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The arrested person was part of a “white-collar terrorist cell,” according to the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
One of them was caught with 360 kg of ammonium nitrate.
